Contents: Prologue. Preface. Philosophical exposition of the subject: World peace as dynamic unity of cultural contrarieties. The onto-hermeneutic basis for an understanding of the structure of the culture of mankind as a perspective for a "dialectic-triadic" conception of reality/Heinrich Beck. I. On the general problem of intercultural encounter and world peace: 1. Intercultural identity in relation to variability and its possible contribution to peace/Fritz G. Wallner. 2. The regulation of a worldwide peace. Challenge to and maintask for the international politics/Peter Eisenmann. 3. Socio-economic development under humanitarian criteria as a postulate for peace. Poor and rich in the light of a "right to development"/J. Hanns Pichler. II. Specific regions of culture: Europe: 1. Basic types of holistic thinking in Europe/Arnulf Rieber. 2. Peace as the aim of history? Three European positions: St. Augustine - Comenius - Kant/Uwe Voigt. 3. The agressiveness of the European philosophy of freedom in Hegel's philosophy of right/Blazenka Despot. Africa: 1. The relation to nature, time and individuality as the foundation of the African concept of harmony and peace/Clement M.P. Oniang'o. 2. The African concept of personality as a possible contribution to global reconciliation/Jameson Kurasha. 3. Specific African thought structures and their possible contribution to world peace/M.B. Ramose. Asia: 1. Some fundamental features of Arabic-Islamic culture and its possible contribution to world peace/Ebithaj Al-A'ali. 2. Intercultural thinking - an Asian perspective/Ram A. Mall. 3. Possibilities and limitations of Indian culture concerning the foundation of peace/Brij Raj Chauhan. 4. Ethical-holistic meaning of emptiness. A Buddhist contribution to peace/Hari Shankar Prasad. 5. Absolute nothingness as selfless self. Nishitani's remarks on the Zen-Buddhistic concept of reality as a Japanese-Asiatic contribution to intercultural understanding/Erwin Schadel. (Latin) America: 1. The specific Mexican-Latin American mental structure and its possible contribution to world freedom/Agustin Basave Fernandez del Valle. 2. The other through dialogue. Latinamerican contribution to intercultural peace/Antonio Perez-Estevez. Supplement: 1 Creative peace through encounter of world cultures a research project for the advancement of philosophical-interdisciplinary and intercultural collaboration/Heinrich Beck. 2. A fertile spiritual contrast between Europe and South Asia? A report on my research journey in the context of philosophy of culture to India and Nepal from 8.III to 6.IV. 1994/Heinrich Beck. Bio-bibliographical notes.
"This publication originated from a project with the same name pursued by the chair of philosophy I at the University of Bamberg in collaboration with the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The aim of the project is to elucidate by the means of philosophical reflection the spiritual and religious foundations which have formed cultures till today. Thereby the perception of one's own identity as well as of the other may be promoted, thus encouraging mutual appreciation and innovative intercultural cooperation as basis for a humanely creative peace. The present volume establishes an exchange of ideas between representatives of different fields and world religions. A "philosophical exposition" (H. Beck) explains the value of the treatises "on the general problem of intercultural encounter and world peace" and of the contributions by specific regional cultures (Europe-Africa-Asia-[Latin] America) to the "dialogue of world cultures." (jacket)
