Sorry Mr. Kipling, They Have Met

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) penned his famous line, "East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet," at a time when Asia stood in relative isolation. But political and technological advances of the late twentieth century, coupled with the new global economy, have changed things. Now Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Seoul are close neighbors and partners with Kipling's dear London, New York, and even the commercial centers of Oregon.
But as "the twain" grow more entwined, new and culturally ambiguous situations arise. Consider the dizzying prospect of a group of Chinese businessmen in western suits chatting about the latest Hollywood movie during a sushi business lunch with American computer manufacturers who use Japanese management techniques to run a Korean assembly plant.
"To understand the fundamental differences and similarities of the East and West you have to look back, back to the earliest days of these civilizations--in the east to China and in the west to Greece," says Steve Shankman, English professor and director of the university's Oregon Humanities Center.
And that is exactly what Shankman, along with the director of the university's Center for Asian and Pacific Studies, Steve Durrant, are doing. The two are collaborating on a book titled The Siren and the Sage: Knowledge and Wisdom in Ancient Greece and China.

What will you cover in the book?

SD: We use examples of the poetry, history, and philosophy from ancient Greece and China as windows through which to view the similarities and differences of these two great cultures.

SS: Specifically, we compare the poetry of Homer's Odyssey with the Book of Songs (Shi jing); the historical accounts of Thucydides' Peloponesian War with Sima Quiam's Records of the Historian (Shi ji); and some philosophical works of Plato, Confucius, and Laozi.

Why is it important to learn from ancient sources?

SD: People struggling with issues today often think they are the first to face these things. In fact, the issues often go back to the beginnings of civilization.

SS: The modern world did not simply appear. People need to understand where we've come from in a variety of areas--our belief structures, ideas, concepts, ways of looking at the world. One thing this project seeks to explore is what is human, universally human.

Isn't such a project quite unusual?

SS: Yes. Our project runs counter to the current of specialization running through the halls of many universities. We are bringing a variety of historical materials together to make some broad statements and raise some interesting questions about the human condition.

Could you give an example of how your study connects the present and the past?

SS: Well, in several different civilizations between about 600 and 300 B.C., the ancient mythic world-view gave way to a more rational, modern way of understanding. In the mythic world-view there was no separation between humanity and the encompassing universe.

SD: But then there was a shift. Humans began to see our species as somehow different from the rest of nature. We became alienated from the world, and perhaps grew more willing to sacrifice it for our own short-term gains. This schism is at the very root of our current ecological crisis.

The Siren and the Sage is due to be completed next summer and published soon thereafter.

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