Science of religion and Eastern philosophy

Paul Carus

1852 – 1919

Paul Carus was a German-American philosopher, editor, and prolific author who served as managing editor of the Open Court Publishing Company from 1888, using the platform to advocate for what he called the Religion of Science — a synthesis of scientific rationalism and universal religious truth. He attended the 1893 Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago and played a pivotal role in introducing Zen Buddhism and East Asian philosophy to Western audiences, sponsoring D.T. Suzuki's early career and publishing The Gospel of Buddha (1894), which became an international bestseller. His work at the intersection of comparative religion, Eastern philosophy, and Western science made Open Court an essential publishing house for the early twentieth-century Western engagement with non-Christian spiritual traditions.