Oriental Enlightenment

Clarke notes that for hundreds of years the West has sought out the tradition of the East's philosophies. The search has been one-sided, however; the East generally has not reached out to the West for philosophical ideas. Further, despite a so-called shrinking globe, the West is still reluctant to acknowledge that it may have borrowed anything of significance from the East. So why does the West remain fascinated with the East? One insightful observation by Clarke: "It is Europe's collective day-dream, symptomatic of a certain weariness that from time to time bests European culture."