Review: A Philosophical Exploration of Buddhist Ethics
ISSN 1076-9005
Volume 29, 2022
Buddhist Ethics: A Philosophical Exploration. By Jay L. Garfield. Buddhist Philosophy for Philosophers. New York: Oxford University Press, 2021, xiv + 231 pages, ISBN 978-0-19-090763-1 (hardback), $99/978-0-19-090764-8 (paperback), $24.95/978-0-19-090766-2 (e-book), $16.99.
Reviewed by Amod Lele
July 1st, 2022 at 12:50 pm
Amod, this is a very clear, concise, and (without having read Garfield’s text yet) fair-minded review.
January 11th, 2023 at 7:27 am
I certainly agree with Rick Repetti’s assessment. However, let me point out one issue that may need some improvement:
The statement “Keown’s work effectively presents Buddhist ethics as historical, not applying it to contemporary readers in any significant way” is quite surprising.
The answer to this riddle can be found in the bibliography, where only one work by Keown is listed, published in 1992. One may doubt whether this should still be considered “contemporary.” Over the last 30 years, Keown has published important studies on Buddhist ethics in the modern world, some of them while living in a predominantly Buddhist country.
Otherwise, I would like to express my appreciation for Garfield’s work and this felicitous review.