Question I've noticed a difference between some eastern and western approaches to philosophy. Some eastern traditions seem to emphasize personal serenity and enlightenment through meditation, while some western traditions emphasize wisdom through curiosity, questioning, and thinking. My question is, which is the higher human good: serenity or wisdom? More concretely, which image represents the best in humanity: Buddha meditating or Socrates thinking and conversing on philosophic questions?

Accepted:

January 24, 2008