In contrast, Eastern thought maintained their primordial beliefs so much so that only tints of progress emerged. Yet, no radical changes are apparent. Here lies the distinction of the two. "In the West Philosophy is theory and is distinguished from actual practical living. In the East Philosophy includes experience (say of the oneness of existence) and actual living: they supplement each other" (Moorty 10). The main difference between the two philosophies lies on how they view the world or the universe. In the West, there is an attitude of individualism. Everything is reduced to the smallest parts and considered these parts our primary objects. The union of the parts is supposed to represent the behavior of the whole. In contrast, Eastern philosophy views the totality of the universe. Their assumption is that the behavior of the parts can be understood better from learning enough about the whole.
This study does not intend to clash the two schools of thought. These are not totally opposing or contradicting. They are simply differentiated to know a good and clear background of each philosophy. In fact, both of them somehow focus on virtues. In Western philosophy, the idea of progress emerged in the period of Enlightenment. Enlightenment thinkers speculated that the society and humankind could improve because of man's rationalilty. Shashank Nakate, an Indian writer, states, "It is true that humans are placed at a higher intellectual level than other organisms of the planet; however, this intelligence also acts as a double-edged sword" (The Economy). This is to say that theory of anthropocentrism is still evident for stating human beings are the most important entity of the world. The idea of progress is now understood in a different approach wherein in fact, it does not really create but disturb the balance of nature.
Generally speaking, Western countries are the most developed or progressive nations because of their existing gigantic towers and building for infrastructural and economic purposes.
