While many precursors could be identified, such as Paul Masson-Oursel, Brajendranath Seal, and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan,[1] intercultural philosophy as a concept emerged in the 1980s.
Eurocentric philosophers such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel agree upon Greek being the only birthplace of philosophy and traditions such as the Chinese or Indian ones are only teachings of wisdom.
In contrast to any eurocentrism there are those philosophers who believe that there needs to be communication as well as collaboration between different traditions and cultures especially in today's global situation,[2][3][6][7] given that intercultural interactions and encounters are a fact of human existence.
[8] The goal is to extend one's thinking into including other cultures, to not only consider one tradition but as many as possible such as Asian, Anglo-American, Latin-American,[7] Islamic, or African.
[9] When developing an approach to intercultural philosophy one has to abandon the idea of using only one's own ways of demonstration and description but has to include other forms such as dance, music, architecture, rituals, art, literature, myths, proverbs, folk tales and so on.
[2][10] A manner of meeting has to be found to allow a variety of exchange where one's own tradition can be preserved and not be forged into one big syncretism.
[11] Others view China and Japan as an example of intercultural practise that others could learn from as they have managed to integrate Buddhism without losing their own cultural identity.
[12] Philosophers such as Wimmer and Mall postulate forms of dialogue in which all parties are on the same level ('Ebene der Gleichheit') without having any other power but the better argument.
[7] Their concept of intercultural philosophy differs according to their personal background but what they all agree upon is the practical relevance this approach presents.
The history of philosophy shouldn't be reconstructed on the basis of the expansionary development but by means of the diversity of all cultures of humankind.
Intercultural philosophy is by no means a romantic notion for anything non-European but an attitude which has to precede philosophical thinking.
[2] Wimmer concerns himself with the history of philosophical thought which has to be rewritten in order to include other traditions beside the occidental.
Many philosophers of intercultural thought suggest similar but nonetheless different rules or guidelines when approaching other traditions.
He postulates that within interculturally orientated philosophy methods have to be found which disable any rash universalism or relativistic particularism.
He drafts a 'minimal rule':[3] never accept a philosophical thesis from an author of a single cultural tradition to be well founded.
[3] Elmar Holenstein (born 1937) is a Swiss philosopher who concerns himself with questions regarding phenomenology and philosophy of language and culture.
It is easy to misunderstand if one cannot distinguish logical and teleological rationality, the literal meaning of a sentence and the goal pursued with it.
Anti-crypto-racism rule – When people are frustrated, they are inclined to perceive their own shortcomings in magnified form in members of other groups.
According to their constitution and the kind of encounter, people tend to overestimate, super-elevate and embellish themselves, or to underestimate, diminish and denigrate themselves.
[13] Non-homogeneity rule – The assumption that cultures are homogeneous is a temptation to place the various eras, trends and formations to be found in them in a uni-linear order as if they are only distinguished by their degree of development and none of them has its own originality and autonomy.
[14] Beside the work of individual philosophers journals have been published to spread the intercultural thought and make as many voices heard as possible.
Polylog is a journal for intercultural philosophising, published in Vienna, Austria since 1998 and offers articles mostly in the German language.