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Bo Mou
An influential voice in comparative and intercultural philosophy

Bo Mou, professor of philosophy at San José State University and founding director of the Center for Comparative Philosophy, is one of the most influential contemporary voices in comparative and intercultural philosophy. His work bridges Chinese and Western traditions, not by flattening their differences, but by creating a constructive dialogue that respects distinct perspectives while seeking shared insights2. At the heart of his project lies what he calls the “constructive-engagement strategy”—a methodological framework for how philosophical traditions can meaningfully interact without collapsing into relativism or domination. Bo Mou’s intercultural philosophy is a methodological revolution in how we think about philosophy itself. Instead of treating traditions as isolated or competing, he envisions them as partners in a shared human enterprise. His constructive-engagement strategy offers a roadmap for a truly cosmopolitan philosophy, one that is both plural and unified, rooted in cultural diversity yet oriented toward common truth.

Core Principles of Bo Mou’s Intercultural Philosophy

1. Constructive-Engagement Strategy

  • Philosophy should not be confined within cultural silos.
  • Traditions can critically engage with one another, testing ideas across contexts.
  • The goal is not assimilation but mutual enrichment, where each tradition contributes explanatory resources to shared problems.

2. Unifying-Pluralist Vision

  • Mou advocates a “unifying-pluralist” account: philosophy is plural in its methods and traditions, yet unified in its pursuit of truth.
  • This avoids both absolutism (one tradition claiming supremacy) and fragmentation (traditions talking past each other).

3. Meta-Methodological Framework

  • Mou emphasizes the need for a meta-level reflection on how traditions interact.
  • He distinguishes between:

  • Eligibility of perspectives: which approaches are philosophically rigorous enough to enter dialogue.
  • Complementarity: how different perspectives can illuminate aspects of the same problem.

4. Case Studies Across Traditions

  • Mou applies his framework to issues in logic, language, metaphysics, and ethics.
  • Example: engaging classical Chinese philosophy (Confucian, Daoist, Mohist) with analytic philosophy on questions of identity, reference, and truth.
  • These studies show that traditions can co-develop solutions to philosophical puzzles, rather than merely compare differences.

Significance for World Philosophy

1.Toward a Global Philosophy

Mou’s intercultural philosophy is not just about East-West dialogue. It is a model for world philosophy, where African, Islamic, Indian, Indigenous, and Western traditions can all enter into constructive engagement.

2.Expanding Philosophical Resources

By drawing on multiple traditions, philosophy gains new conceptual tools. For instance, Chinese correlative thinking can enrich debates on logic, while Western analytic precision can sharpen interpretations of classical texts.

3.Balancing Universality and Particularity

Mou’s approach respects the cultural embeddedness of ideas while affirming that philosophy addresses universal human concerns—truth, meaning, justice, and reality.

Readings

A Methodological Framework for Cross-Tradition Understanding and Constructive Engagement

Bo Mou's Web page

 

 

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