The school teaching of philosophy in Italy is limited to western philosophy only. Behind this choice there is the belief that philosophy is an original creation of Greece and that the expressions of the thought of oriental peoples are mostly mythical or mystical and do not draw on the accuracy of philosophy. The paper discusses this position by taking into consideration the most widespread manuals of philosophy and questioning the very nature of philosophy, suggesting that philosophy is a universal practice, which takes on different forms but with common underlying traits such as the rejection of dogmatism and the practice of the discussion. Philosophies represent the critical aspect of cultures; for this reason, studying the philosophy of others is important to get out of the identity juxtaposition of cultures typical of multiculturalism.