Great Thinkers of the Eastern World is a concise and authoritative guide to the principal theoretical ideas of the outstanding thinkers in Eastern history. From Confucius to Nishitani Keiji, these men and women have profoundly influenced the development of Eastern civilizations through their theories and revolutionary ideas and by providing intellectual, scientific or spiritual illumination. Articles on over 100 thinkers are arranged chronologically, making it easy for readers to follow and appreciate the development of ideas from 600 B.C. through the twentieth century. Each article provides basic biographical information, a list of the thinker's major works, a summary of his or her principal ideas, an essay explaining the thinker's most significant theories and indicating his or her place in the history of thought and a brief bibliography of further readings. An absorbing, accessible and highly informative introduction to the greatest minds of Eastern civilizations, Great Thinkers of the Eastern World improves our understanding of Eastern schools of thought and how they evolved.