Philosophy and Philosophya

I just had an awareness.

As a white man born and raised in United States, one who considers himself somewhat intelligent and enjoying of academic inquiry and existential journey, when I say philosophy to my friends and cohorts, we generally understand that we’re going to get into some sort of discussion that has to do with positions and argumentation and referencing various authors who have had profound thoughts and ideas. But the basic notion which informs philosophy is that we are going to try and prove each other wrong. We are going to admit where we think the other person might have made good points, and then we are going to say “but” you have failed to notice states, I believe that your point here is lacking in this way, so-and-so says this about the same thing, I believe this, etc.

And yet, if I am to speak about Philosophy. and I say “eastern” philosophy, or if I talk about Buddhism or Hinduism, generally speaking now we’re just talking about “great spiritual truths”. If I talk about the eight fold path, no one is discussing how the eight fold path might be lacking in its points of comprehension. When I speak of the eight fold path everybody just has a big sigh of awesomeness and expressions of profound awareness and everyone starts getting into their yoga pose.

Why is that?

If I’m speaking of Western philosophy and I speak of truths, why do I get knocked down and I get told that there is no way to know truth.

And then when I speak of eastern philosophy, if I try to critique any of it, then I’m approached as if “I don’t understand”?