Highlight the major differences between western thinking and eastern thinking?

Question

How can these be reconciled, if they can be reconciled? What are the laws that govern both kinds of thinking?

Answer 1

Western thinking = individualistic, more resistant to authority
Eastern thinking = collectivist, more submissive to authority

These different ways of thinking can be reconciled by looking at their applications to different areas of life and determining which way of thinking, or where between the extremes, leads to the strongest betterment of our quality of life.

Capitilism definately promotes individualistic thinking, as well as believing in inalienable rights. Collectivist thinking is promoted a lot by social norms and traditions, especially involving the family. I am not familiar with laws or I cant think of any right now.

Answer 2

They are already; that is, reconciled.

These two are but the extremes prevalent in all human nature because they are forces manifest in all nature itself.

One constitutes but an agreement -- eastern or western -- one in which the collective has agreed to agree. The other, too, has come to agree to agree, for this one is no less a collective or consensual reality as well than the other.

They are but two faces of the same head.

If one did not exist, the other could not either, lest a void would ensue and nothing in any world consisting of duality can exist in a void -- only in the reality above duality can such exist, but such could not reach the realm of duality, which lacks the capacity to contain non-duality, for duality lacks the purity to sustain purity.

These two are but expressions one remove, say, reflections of a greater source and not the source themselves of the expressions. The western force depends on the eastern to be the western; and the eastern, on the western to be the eastern. We could only know of a one or study a one with the foundation afforded by another such that there was a question needing asked in the first place.

How does one know a thing if one does not know that he does not know? Hence the dilemma.

The only irreconcilable perception about this is that neither can reconcile either without remanding the other to non-existence.

Such is the Law of Duality, or the Law of Opposites or again the Law of Harmonics, all of which are natural laws whose doctrine and beginnings are Spiritual in origin and -- pardon the pun -- Spiritual in 'Nature.'

What you observe are distortions, and is what humankind makes of these laws, but without which humankind would not know what it is to be humankind. Thus such duality affords the antagonism needed to ensure that Life proceeds and growth persists. Only the animal, plant, and mineral realms are masters of these distinctions and are living embodiments of these two great forces or this dichotomy.

Answer 3

Western thinking is more knowledge seeking, scientific, literal, factual and provable
Eastern thinking is more accepting, trusting, metaphysical, metaphoric and inclined to acceptance of what is, rather than what can be.
Western thinking is dominated by left brain
Eastern thinking is more right brain
The laws that govern these two? western thinking is more objective, eastern thought more subjective perhaps. Same laws, different emphasis.
I think they can be reconciled, in fact must be reconciled for the brain (read humanity!) to be balanced. The east is becoming more technical and the west can perhaps realise that not everything is understood through rationale.

Answer 4

Western thinking believes that time is a linear continuum--that progress can and should occur.
Eastern thinking believes that time is a circle cycling in a seasonal rhythm--that there is nothing new under the sun, and that the acceptance of that fact is the key to contentment.
...as I understand it these ideas can't exactly be reconciled, but that doesn't mean people can't live and let live.

Answer 5

The West thinks we have to sort out problems of the rest of the world, while the East continues to believe that let’s first sort out our own inner Self; the rest of the world is equally capable.

Of course the middle path is the best as only then can we evolve into a global village.

Though right now, these two civilizations and thoughts are collapsing on each other, as we can amply see in the Middle East or the Middle West as we like to call it, here on this side of the great divide.

Answer 6

Western man concentrates on his belly
Eastern man concentrates on his mind

Answer 7

One is more complicated and hectic than the other.