About Book

In Comparative Approaches to Compassion, Ramin Jahanbegloo explores compassion as both a spiritual principle and a political force across world religions. He examines ahimsa in Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, the Christian tradition of love and compassion, and their synthesis in Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence. The book situates Gandhian nonviolence as a bridge between religious compassion and political democracy, showing its legacy in the works of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan. Jahanbegloo extends this analysis to Nelson Mandela, framing compassion as a universal principle for building inclusive societies. Through a comparative and interdisciplinary lens, the book argues for the necessity of a “compassionate civilization” in the 21st century—where empathy, spiritual values, and democratic practice converge to counter violence, authoritarianism, and social fragmentation.This book is profoundly relevant to today’s world of polarization, extremism, and violence. By showing that compassion is a shared ethical and spiritual value across traditions, it offers common ground for interfaith peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and democratic renewal. Community engagement mechanisms include: • Interfaith study programs exploring compassion across religions. • Civic workshops on Gandhian nonviolence and its relevance for democracy. • University courses in comparative ethics, political philosophy, and religious studies. • Peace dialogues involving diverse communities grounded in compassion as a universal principle. • Public lectures linking historical leaders (Gandhi, King, Ghaffar Khan, Mandela) to contemporary peace movements.This book is an essential contribution to the global philosophy of nonviolence. It succeeds in demonstrating that compassion is both a deeply religious value and a viable political ethic for a fractured world. Jahanbegloo’s comparative approach makes it highly relevant for interfaith and intercultural peace initiatives.