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26) A NEW WAY OF APPROACH
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The chief emphasis of our assertion should be laid upon the development of what is of the most importance from a philosophical viewpoint. Our concern is to give a history of problems and solutions by thinkers. And it should be given as a connected and interrelated whole.
In order to fulfil this purpose, however, we must avoid any a priori logical construction. Based upon as many facts as possible, we must fulfil an unprejudiced investigation which we hope would be all-sided. Our study should be positive.
Keeping this purpose in mind, the biographical and bibliographical material will not be given in detail. Purely individual careers and traits of each thinker, which may be a welcome object for learned scholarship but afford no philosophical interest, will also be skipped.
On the other hand, the social relations of each age in which the philosophers concerned lived should be taken into account. This is of course a really difficult task, considering the present situation of our sciences, but efforts should always be made by us for the cause of humanity.
The chapters and passages will be set up under the headings of philosophical conceptions. The content is to be arranged according to philosophical problems. Most of them would be common to all philosophical currents of the world. Thus in dealing with the particular current Indian philosophy as a sort of measure or axis, we can discuss philo
problems in general which are very often common to all humankind. Original texts should be cited in translation, in order to avoid too twisted interpretations which have often been done by many historians of philosophy. If my ways of interpretation or comparison are wrong, the readers themselves would be able to detect and correct them. This is merely an approach to delineate a comparative history of philosophy which does not exclude the possibility of other types. Buddhist philosophy also should be examined from this viewpoint, and by that means alone Buddhist philosophy will be able to help develop philosophy of humankind which should be united in the future. Any criticism or suggestion by the readers will be most appreciated.
Sopnical Probics 1 E
B. Ethical Values of Buddhism in the Light of
the World Civilization I. The Middle Path
Universal norms (dhamma) which have been stressed by Buddhism should be applicable to everyone. They do not conflict with human nature. The way of Gotama Buddha is called the Middle Path because
