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THE TAO OF
PHILOSOPHY
THE EDITED TRANSCRIPTS
ALAN WATTS
at a seminar aboard the Vallejo, 1966
THE TAO OF
PHILOSOPHY
THE EDITED TRANSCRIPTS
TUTTLE PUBLISHING
Tokyo • Rutland, Vermont • Singapore
First paperback edition published in 2002 by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd., with editorial offices at 364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, Vermont 05759.
Copyright © 1995 Mark Watts
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Watts, Alan, 1915-1973
The Tao of philosophy: the edited transcripts / Alan Watts.
96p., 23cm.—(Love of wisdom library)
1. Philosophy, Comparative. 2. East and West. 3. Philosophy.
I. Title. II. Series: Watts, Alan, 1915-1973. Alan Watts “Love of wisdom” library.
B799.W34 1995
| 191—dc20 | 95-22261 CIP |
Photo courtesy of Alan Watts Electronic Educational Programs
ISBN-10: 0-8048-3204-8
ISBN-13: 978-0-8048-3204-5
ISBN: 978-1-4629-1673-3 (ebook)
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Dedicated to Al Chung-liang Huang
Contents
Foreword: On Philosophical Synthesis
Introduction
Welcome to The Tao of Philosophy, and to some remarkable ideas about the role of philosophical inquiry and the “true purpose” of living. These thoughts spring from a life-long study of Eastern philosophy by an inspired and articulate Westerner, Alan Watts. A prolific writer and speaker, Watts is well known for his numerous books on Christianity, Zen, Hinduism, and Taoism, including his classic The Way of Zen. Originally from England, Watts was the Chaplain at Northwestern University during the time of World War II. Following the publication of Behold the Spirit in 1947, Watts left the Church in 1950, and soon thereafter traveled to California to teach at the Academy for Asian Studies in San Francisco with Dr. Fredrick Spiegelberg.
Three years later Watts began the “Way Beyond the West” radio series on KPFA in Berkeley. His radio talks were so well received in the Bay Area that they continued on KPFA for thirty years. At various times the shows also aired
