DOCSLIB.ORG

Indian Philosophies: Fall 2011 PHL 348 (42555, 42560, 42565) ANS 372 (31554, 31556, 31447) RS 341 (43606, 43607, 43608)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Indian Philosophies: Fall 2011 PHL 348 (42555, 42560, 42565) ANS 372 (31554, 31556, 31447) RS 341 (43606, 43607, 43608) 348syl.html file:///Users/stephenphillips/Desktop/classes/348/348sylF11.html Indian Philosophies: Fall 2011 PHL 348 (42555, 42560, 42565) ANS 372 (31554, 31556, 31447) RS 341 (43606, 43607, 43608) MW 2-3, WAG 302 (third hour in section) Stephen Phillips WAG 301 MW 12-1, W 3-4 & by appointment [email protected] TA to be announced WAG MW & by appointment parama-prayojanam tv anumanasya apavargah "atma va are srotavyo mantavyo nididhyasitavyah saksatkartavyah" iti sruteh. "But the ultimate purpose of inference is with respect to the supreme good (liberation), according to the Upanishadic statement, 'The Self is to be learned about, thought about (in philosophy), and made immediate in experience.' " Gangesa, "New Logic," 14th century. Course Requirements: Required reading: * Two glossary tests (best two count, out of three; 5% each = 10%) * The Upanisads, tr. Valerie Roebuck * Two homeworks (out of three possibilities, * The Bhagavad-Gita, tr. Franklin Edgerton two-page essays, 10% each = 20%) * J.N. Mohanty, Classical Indian Philosophy * Midterm exam (identification and short essay, 15%) * Packet of photocopies, available at Speedway in the Dobie Mall (called CP, "course packet," below) * Final exam (identification and essay, 50%) *Notes and readings on the course web site (this page and * Attendance (5%) all links). Two books are highly recommended: Eliot Deutsch, Advaita Vedanta; Santideva, The Bodhicaryatara, translated by Kate Cosby and Andrew Skilton. The course is divided into three parts. The first six weeks are devoted to history and overview. Of special concern (and targeted on the midterm exam) will be the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, along with the claim that Vedanta philosophy 1 of 8 8/18/11 9:58 AM 348syl.html file:///Users/stephenphillips/Desktop/classes/348/348sylF11.html (alternatively the teaching of the Buddha) is justified by mystical and yogic experience. We shall also take up questions of ethics, in particular the ahimsa ("non-injury") precept of Jainism and the karma-yoga teaching of the Gita. An overview of the nature of philosophy will occupy us in connection with an introduction to early Buddhism, as well as the transition to classical philosophy. The second part of the course, five weeks, will be devoted to classical Indian philosophy. We'll examine the controversy between the professional debaters of the Nyaya school ("Logic") and the Buddhist anti-intellectual Nagarjuna who rejects Nyaya's theory of knowledge and the school's identification of perception, inference, and testimony as "knowledge sources." Buddhist idealism and its debate with Nyaya will be our next focus, then the interschool controversy between Sankara's Advaita ("Non-dualistic'') Vedanta and the theistic Vedanta of Ramanuja, and finally the Nyaya view of Gangesa on inference and mukti, the "supreme personal good." The last four weeks, we shall return to Indian spirituality and some of the topics of the first part, looking at the Yoga-sutra, Tantra, neo-Vedanta, and modern works concerning meditation and spiritual discipline. The final exam, although comprehensive, will disproportionately target the last two parts of the course in its identification and short-answer questions. Topics & Requirements 24, 29, & 31 Aug Introduction. India. The geography of the Indian Subcontinent. Ancient and classical Indian civilization. The Sanskrit language. Pronunciation drill. Philosophy and traditions of philosophy. Philosophy's phenomenological, evaluative, and creative tasks. A brief overview of the periods and systems of Indian philosophy. The Rg Veda. Vedic polytheism, henotheism, and monotheism. Hinduism. The Upanishads and Indian spiritual practices. Vedic literature; the early Upanishads. Upanishadic views of Brahman. The schools of Vedanta and early Indian metaphysics. Reading: From your COURSE PACKET (CP): 1. Selections from the Rg Veda: 1.1 and 1.12 (to Agni). 2. S. Phillips, "South Asian Philosophy," pp. 65-87, including selections from the Rg Veda (10.129, "Hymn of Creation," 7.88, to Varuna, 8.48, to Soma), and particularly important selections from the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. 3. Louis Renou, Religion of Ancient India, pp. 1-22 (recommended, i.e., not required with respect to quote- identification questions that may appear on an exam). 4. S. Phillips, "Hinduism." 2 of 8 8/18/11 9:58 AM 348syl.html file:///Users/stephenphillips/Desktop/classes/348/348sylF11.html 5. Selections on Absolute Brahman from the Rg Veda ("The Gods as Faces of God''), the Bhagavad-Gita, and Aurobindo's The Life Divine . Additional reading: From The Upanishads (tr. Roebuck), selections from the Brhadaranyaka (pp. 66-71, 76-79, 81-82), Mandukya (pp. 347-48), Chandogya (pp. 171-80, 194-204), Katha (pp. 273-92), Mundaka (pp. 327-30), Taittiriya (pp. 214-26), and Isha (pp. 7-9) Upanishads. From J. N. Mohanty, Classical Indian Philosophy, pp. 1-7. S. Phillips. "Brahman," Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (recommended, not required). 7 Sept Eastern ethics. Ahimsa ("non-injury"). Jainism. The Jaina argument for vegetarianism. Civil disobedience and non-violence (the legacy of Thoreau, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King). Reading from CP: 6. From the Acaranga Sutra , "The True Doctrine: Non-violence." (See also, to be discussed later, Santideva, The Bodhisattvacaryavatara.) Additional reading: J. N. Mohanty, Classical Indian Philosophy, "Jaina Ethics," pp. 114-15. 12, 14, & 19 Sept => GLOSSARY TEST: Wed 14 Sept (at the beginning of class). NB. The Sanskrit words for the glossary test on 14 Sept will be announced in class and listed here. This pattern will be repeated for all subsequent tests as well. Upanishadic theism. The Bhagavad-gita. The Mahabharata. The Gita's worldview: theology and soteriology. Its teaching concerning action, or Classical Samkhya. The question of the cognitive value of yogic and other mystical experiences. Reading: Bhagavad-Gita , tr. F. Edgerton (other translations are acceptable: see your instructor or TA): chs. 1-13 and 18. See also an alternative translation of chs. 3 & 4 plus an introductory discussion. J. N. Mohanty, Classical Indian Philosophy, "From Dhama to Moksha: The Ethical Theory of the Bhagavad Gita," pp. 117-22. 3 of 8 8/18/11 9:58 AM 348syl.html file:///Users/stephenphillips/Desktop/classes/348/348sylF11.html From CP: 7a. Geneological chart for the Mahabharata war. 7b. Chart for classical Samkhya. 7c. Mircea Eliade, "The Hindu synthesis: The Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita" (recommended, not required). 8. "The Cognitive Thesis Defended," from William Wainwright's Mysticism. 21 & 26 Sept Nyaya and Buddhism: transition to classical philosophy. The tradition of debate in ancient India. Debate manuals. The Nyaya-sutra. Nyaya and Vaisesika. The story of the Buddha's life. The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. An overview of Buddhist literature. Theravada and Mahayana. Central Buddhist positions. The anti-philosophy sermon of the Buddha versus the "right views" of the Eightfold Path. What is the role of philosophy? Buddhist theory of the self (or "no-self"). Virtues in Buddhism. The concept of the Bodhisattva. HOMEWORK (due in section): Write a two-page essay on an ethical conception of classical Indian philosophy, ahimsa, the karma-yoga teaching of the Gita, Santideva's arguments for compassion and trying to end suffering (despite there being no self that suffers), Sankara's "likeness-to-self argument," and the Bodhisattva concept of Mahayana Buddhism are some possibilities. Be sure to spell out a thesis and any argument or arguments made in the text. You may also tease out implicit considerations in favor of a thesis or theory on which you are focusing, as well as try to debunk or present counter- arguments. Try to anticipate a good objection or two or an important line of response to an objection you raise. Reading from CP: 9. From S. Phillips, Classical Indian Metaphysics, "The Grammarians and Early Manuals of Debate," pp. 39-41. 10. From Gautama's Nyayasutra 1.1.41-1.2.3, with commentary by Vatsyayana (recommended, not required). 11. "Early Buddhism" (by SP), "The First Sermon,'' a sermon from the Majjhima-Nikaya, "The Questions of King Milinda," Buddhaghosa, "The Duration of Life.'' From Shantideva, The Bodhisattvacaryavatara Additional reading: J. N. Mohanty, Classical Indian Philosophy, "Virtues: Hindu and Buddhist," pp. 112-14. 4 of 8 8/18/11 9:58 AM 348syl.html file:///Users/stephenphillips/Desktop/classes/348/348sylF11.html 28 Sept & 3 & 5 Oct Classical theory of knowledge: the Naiyayika "knowledge sources'' (pramana). Comparisons with both the "internalism" of Plato and Descartes in Western epistemology and recent "externalism." Mahayana. Nagarjuna and the Madhyamika schools. Nagarjuna 's prasanga dialectic. His skepticism and attack on pramana theory. Consciousness and cognition in classical epistemology (pramana-sastra). Moral epistemology (how is dharma known?). The Mimamsa position. The issue of "yogic perception" (yaugika-pratyaksa) in the various schools. Indian skepticism II: Carvaka ("materialism''). The Carvaka view of self as the living body. The Carvaka attack on inference. Nyaya responses: Gangesa's insistence on a cognitive default ("innocent until proven guilty'') and the charge of self-refutation or pragmatic contradiction. Nyaya dualism and the arguments for a self. Buddhist views revisited. Reading: J. N. Mohanty, Classical Indian Philosophy, "Theory of Knowledge," pp. 11-38, along with Appendix 2, "Some General Features of the Indian Theories of Knowledge," pp. 149-51; and "The Self," pp. 59-71. From CP: 12a. Nagarjuna's "Averting the Arguments." 12b. From Nagarjuna's Mula-madhyamika-karika, ch. 2, "Examination of Motion." 12c. D. Seyfort Ruegg, "Does the Madhyamika Have a Thesis and Philosophical Position?" (recommended, not required). 13. From Gautama's Nyaya-sutra and Vatsyayana's Commentary (tr. M. Gangopadhya): (a) 1.1.4-1.1.7, 2.1.16, and 2.1.19 (concerning pramana), and (b) 3.1.1-3.1.3 (concerning a self). 14a. From Kumarila's Slokavartika, "Aphorism IV" (i.e., Kumarila's commentary on Mimamsa-sutra 1.1.4). 14b. From Madhava's Philosophic Compendium: "Carvaka." 15.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Abhinavagupta's Portrait of a Guru: Revelation and Religious Authority in Kashmir
    Abhinavagupta's Portrait of a Guru: Revelation and Religious Authority in Kashmir The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:39987948 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA Abhinavagupta’s Portrait of a Guru: Revelation and Religious Authority in Kashmir A dissertation presented by Benjamin Luke Williams to The Department of South Asian Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the subject of South Asian Studies Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts August 2017 © 2017 Benjamin Luke Williams All rights reserved. Dissertation Advisor: Parimal G. Patil Benjamin Luke Williams ABHINAVAGUPTA’S PORTRAIT OF GURU: REVELATION AND RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY IN KASHMIR ABSTRACT This dissertation aims to recover a model of religious authority that placed great importance upon individual gurus who were seen to be indispensable to the process of revelation. This person-centered style of religious authority is implicit in the teachings and identity of the scriptural sources of the Kulam!rga, a complex of traditions that developed out of more esoteric branches of tantric "aivism. For convenience sake, we name this model of religious authority a “Kaula idiom.” The Kaula idiom is contrasted with a highly influential notion of revelation as eternal and authorless, advanced by orthodox interpreters of the Veda, and other Indian traditions that invested the words of sages and seers with great authority.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report 2016-17
    Jeee|<ekeâ efjheesš& Annual Report 201201666---20120120177 केb6ीय ितबती अaययन िव िवcालय Central University of Tibetan Studies (Deemed University) Sarnath, Varanasi - 221007 www.cuts.ac.in Conference on Buddhist Pramana A Glance of Cultural Programme Contents Chapters Page Nos. 1. A Brief Profile of the University 3 2. Faculties and Academic Departments 9 3. Research Departments 45 4. Shantarakshita Library 64 5. Administration 79 6. Activities 89 Appendices 1. List of Convocations held and Honoris Causa Degrees Conferred on Eminent Persons by CUTS 103 2. List of Members of the CUTS Society 105 3. List of Members of the Board of Governors 107 4. List of Members of the Academic Council 109 5. List of Members of the Finance Committee 112 6. List of Members of the Planning and Monitoring Board 113 7. List of Members of the Publication Committee 114 Editorial Committee Chairman: Dr. Dharma Dutt Chaturvedi Associate Professor, Dean, Faculty of Shabdavidya, Department of Sanskrit, Department of Classical and Modern Languages Members: Shri R. K. Mishra Documentation Officer Shantarakshita Library Shri Tenzin Kunsel P. R. O. V.C. Office Member Secretary: Shri M.L. Singh Sr. Clerk (Admn. Section-I) [2] A BRIEF PROFILE OF THE UNIVERSITY 1. A BRIEF PROFILE OF THE UNIVERSITY The Central University of Tibetan Studies (CUTS) at Sarnath is one of its kind in the country. The University was established in 1967. The idea of the University was mooted in course of a dialogue between Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India and His Holiness the Dalai Lama with a view to educating the young Tibetan in exile and those from the Himalayan regions of India, who have religion, culture and language in common with Tibet.
    [Show full text]
  • Philosophy in Classical India the Proper Work of Reason
    Philosophy in Classical India The proper work of reason Jonardon Ganeri London and New York 2Rationality, emptiness and the objective view 2.1 THOUGHT AND REALITY Is reality accessible to thought? Could it not be that there are limits on our cognitive capacities, and the way the world is, whatever that might be, is something beyond our powers of understanding? What there is in the world might extend beyond what we, in virtue of our natural cognitive endowment, have the capacity to form a conception of. The thesis is a radical form of scepticism. It is a scepticism about what we can conceive rather than about what we can know. Nagarjuna (c. AD 150), founder of the Madhyamaka school of Indian Buddhism, is a radical sceptic of this sort. Indeed, he is still more radical. His thesis is not merely that there may be aspects of reality beyond the reach of conception, but that thought entirely fails to reach reality. If there is a world, it is a world about which we can form no adequate conception. Moreover, since language expresses thought, it is a world about which we cannot speak. Where the reach of thought turns back, language turns back. The nature of things (dharmata) is, like nirvana, without origin and without decay. (MK 18.7) Not dependent on another, calm, not conceptualised by conception, not mentally constructed, not diverse – this is the mark of reality (tattva). (MK 18.9) This indeed is for Nagarjuna the true meaning of the Buddha’s teachings, a meaning so disruptive to common reason that the Buddha was reluctant to spell it out.
    [Show full text]
  • Indian Philosophy Encyclopædia Britannica Article
    Indian philosophy Encyclopædia Britannica Article Indian philosophy the systems of thought and reflection that were developed by the civilizations of the Indian subcontinent. They include both orthodox (astika) systems, namely, the Nyaya, Vaisesika, Samkhya, Yoga, Purva-mimamsa, and Vedanta schools of philosophy, and unorthodox (nastika) systems, such as Buddhism and Jainism. Indian thought has been concerned with various philosophical problems, significant among them the nature of the world (cosmology), the nature of reality (metaphysics), logic, the nature of knowledge (epistemology), ethics, and religion. General considerations Significance of Indian philosophies in the history of philosophy In relation to Western philosophical thought, Indian philosophy offers both surprising points of affinity and illuminating differences. The differences highlight certain fundamentally new questions that the Indian philosophers asked. The similarities reveal that, even when philosophers in India and the West were grappling with the same problems and sometimes even suggesting similar theories, Indian thinkers were advancing novel formulations and argumentations. Problems that the Indian philosophers raised for consideration, but that their Western counterparts never did, include such matters as the origin (utpatti) and apprehension (jñapti) of truth (pramanya). Problems that the Indian philosophers for the most part ignored but that helped shape Western philosophy include the question of whether knowledge arises from experience or from reason and distinctions such as that between analytic and synthetic judgments or between contingent and necessary truths. Indian thought, therefore, provides the historian of Western philosophy with a point of view that may supplement that gained from Western thought. A study of Indian thought, then, reveals certain inadequacies of Western philosophical thought and makes clear that some concepts and distinctions may not be as inevitable as they may otherwise seem.
    [Show full text]
  • The Philosophy of the Upanisads
    THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE UPANISADS BY S. RADHAKRISHNAN WITH A FOREWORD BY RABINDRANATH TAGORE AND AN INTRODUCTION BY EDMOND HOLMES " AUTHOR OF THE CREED OF BUDDHA," ETC. LONDON : GEORGE ALLEN & UNWIN LTD. RUSKIN HOUSE, 40 MUSEUM STREET, W.C. i NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN COMPANY {All rights reserved) Atfl> ITOKCMO DEDICATION TO THE REV. W. SKINNER, M.A., D.D., ETC. INDIAN PHILOSOPHY BY S. RADHAKRISHNAN George V Profe*or of Phflo*ophy b the Uomratjr of Calcatta i Demy 8v. Two 0ob. 21*. each SOME PRESS OPINIONS " We are fortunate in that Professor Radhakrishnan is evidently deeply read in the Philosophy of the West, and shows considerable blend of acquaintance with general Western literature ; a happy Eastern conceptions with Western terminology makes the book intelligible even to the inexpert, and, it need hardly be added, instructive.'* The Times " In this very interesting, Incid, and admirably written book . the author has given us an interpretation of the Philosophy of India written by an Indian scholar of wide culture." Daily News. 44 It is among the most considerable of the essays in interpre- tation that have come from Indian scholars in recent years. English readers are continually on the look-out for a compendium of Indian thought wntten by a modern with a gift for lucid statement . Here is the book for them." New Statesman. 41 The first volume takes us to the decay of Buddism in India after dealing with the Vedas, the Upanisads, and the Hindu con- temporaries of the early Buddists. The work is admirably done*" BBRTRAND RUSSELL in the Nation.
    [Show full text]
  • Abhinavagupta's Theory of Relection a Study, Critical Edition And
    Abhinavagupta’s Theory of Relection A Study, Critical Edition and Translation of the Pratibimbavāda (verses 1-65) in Chapter III of the Tantrāloka with the commentary of Jayaratha Mrinal Kaul A Thesis In the Department of Religion Presented in Partial Fulilment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Religion) at Concordia University Montréal, Québec, Canada August 2016 © Mrinal Kaul, 2016 CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY School of Graduate Studies This is to certify that the thesis prepared By: Mrinal Kaul Entitled: Abhinavagupta’s Theory of Relection: A Study, Critical Edition and Translation of the Pratibimbavāda (verses 1-65) in Chapter III of the Tantrāloka with the commentary of Jayaratha and submitted in partial fulillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Religion) complies with the regulations of the University and meets the accepted standards with respect to originality and quality. Signed by the inal Examining Committee: _____________________________Chair Dr Christine Jourdan _____________________________External Examiner Dr Richard Mann _____________________________External to Programme Dr Stephen Yeager _____________________________Examiner Dr Francesco Sferra _____________________________Examiner Dr Leslie Orr _____________________________Supervisor Dr Shaman Hatley Approved by ____________________________________________________________ Dr Carly Daniel-Hughes, Graduate Program Director September 16, 2016 ____________________________________________ Dr André Roy, Dean Faculty of Arts and Science ABSTRACT Abhinavagupta’s Theory of Relection: A Study, Critical Edition and Translation of the Pratibimbavāda (verses 1-65) in the Chapter III of the Tantrāloka along with the commentary of Jayaratha Mrinal Kaul, Ph.D. Religion Concordia University, 2016 The present thesis studies the theory of relection (pratibimbavāda) as discussed by Abhinavagupta (l.c. 975-1025 CE), the non-dualist Trika Śaiva thinker of Kashmir, primarily focusing on what is often referred to as his magnum opus: the Tantrāloka.
    [Show full text]
  • The 'Other World' in the Plays of Bhasa
    IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 19, Issue 8, Ver. VI (Aug. 2014), PP 30-34 e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845. www.iosrjournals.org The ‘Other World’ in the Plays of Bhasa Dileep Kumar G Associate Professor, Department of English SVTB College, Mannampatta, Palakkad District, Kerala, India Abstract: One of the major thematic concerns of most of Bhasa’s plays is the conflict between grand narratives and alternative voices. ‘Dharma’ was the word used in ancient days to denote the conglomeration of the rules which prescribed the duties and privileges of various classes of the society. Even though this word does not prominently appear in the plays of Bhasa, the values which this word stands for are problematised in these plays. The author is always aware of the two or more worlds, within which every individual exists. Bhasa’s focus is on the dialectic involved in the relationship between the different worlds present in each individual. His endeavor is to ignite the creative tension that exists between the various elements within the plot and texture of the plays. The above mentioned internal tension is present in various forms in Bhasa’s plays. In plays like the Pratijnayougandharayana and Svapnavasavadatta, the contradiction appears in the form of an intense conflict between the world of political discourses and practical wisdom represented by the clever ministers of King Udayana and king Mahasena, and the ‘other’ world created by King Udayana and Vasavadatta which is dominated by innate passions, desires and dreams Keywords: conflict, dharma, dialectic, dream, wisdom I.
    [Show full text]
  • Hinduism and Hindu Philosophy
    Essays on Indian Philosophy UNIVE'aSITY OF HAWAII Uf,FU:{ Essays on Indian Philosophy SHRI KRISHNA SAKSENA UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII PRESS HONOLULU 1970 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 78·114209 Standard Book Number 87022-726-2 Copyright © 1970 by University of Hawaii Press All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States of America Contents The Story of Indian Philosophy 3 Basic Tenets of Indian Philosophy 18 Testimony in Indian Philosophy 24 Hinduism 37 Hinduism and Hindu Philosophy 51 The Jain Religion 54 Some Riddles in the Behavior of Gods and Sages in the Epics and the Puranas 64 Autobiography of a Yogi 71 Jainism 73 Svapramanatva and Svapraka!;>atva: An Inconsistency in Kumarila's Philosophy 77 The Nature of Buddhi according to Sankhya-Yoga 82 The Individual in Social Thought and Practice in India 88 Professor Zaehner and the Comparison of Religions 102 A Comparison between the Eastern and Western Portraits of Man in Our Time 117 Acknowledgments The author wishes to make the following acknowledgments for permission to reprint previously published essays: "The Story of Indian Philosophy," in A History of Philosophical Systems. edited by Vergilius Ferm. New York:The Philosophical Library, 1950. "Basic Tenets of Indian Philosophy," previously published as "Are There Any Basic Tenets of Indian Philosophy?" in The Philosophical Quarterly. "Testimony in Indian Philosophy," previously published as "Authority in Indian Philosophy," in Ph ilosophyEast and West. vo!.l,no. 3 (October 1951). "Hinduism," in Studium Generale. no. 10 (1962). "The Jain Religion," previously published as "Jainism," in Religion in the Twentieth Century. edited by Vergilius Ferm.
    [Show full text]
  • Nyaya-Vaisheshika: the Indian Tradition of Physics
    Nyaya-Vaisheshika: The Indian Tradition of Physics Roopa Hulikal Narayan 1 Introduction This paper is the first in a series on the Indian tradition of physics that while summarizing the earlier review by Kak [1], [2] will set the stage for a more comprehensive analysis to follow in later papers. In ancient India, the schools of Nyaya and Vaisheshika focused on logic and atomic approach to matter. In this paper, the idea of atomicity and other physical ideas given in Vaisheshika are reviewed in light of the central role the observer plays in Indian thought. We provide introduction to ideas that are described in greater detail in Potter’s text [10], where the focus is not on physical ideas but rather on philosophy. The Rigveda, the oldest of the Vedic texts of India, generally assigned to the early second millennium BC or earlier, is seen within the Indian tradition as the source of its approach to reality. The Vedic sages recognized a binding unity among all that constitutes this universe. They made an attempt to reflect this pattern of interdependence among the entities of the universe including the very structure of universe itself. This may be seen in the structure and symbolic purpose of Vedic altars, approach to language, and so on [3],[4],[5]. The observer or the experiencing subject was given a privileged state in physical thought [6-10]. By the end of nineteenth century, the place of the observer also became a part of the mainstream discourse of academic physics and psychology in the consideration of the dichotomous issues of order and disorder.
    [Show full text]
  • Nyāya -Sutras and the Modern Decision-Making Process in an Organisation: a Note
    International Journal of Hinduism & Philosophy (IJHP), Vol. 2, Issue 1 April 2021 Nyāya -Sutras and the modern decision-making process in an organisation: A Note Deepraj Mukherjee Department of Economics, Kent State University, USA Indian philosophical traditions have received laconic scrutiny from the West. Most of the Keywords contemporary academic work in the West is based on the Greek philosophical tradition. Nyaya-sutras, Given this gap, this paper will attempt to provide an expository analysis of an ancient Decision-making Indian school of thought in the context of organisational management. Specifically, this process, paper will focus on one specific school in Indian philosophy, namely Nyāya Sutras. In this Indian philosophy, article, we implement the Sutras in solving real-world decision-making steps in an Management organisation. We find that western minds largely ignore Indian Philosophy. The sutras provide the policymakers with executing activities that will enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the organisation. Corresponding author: Deepraj Mukherjee Email address for the corresponding author: [email protected] The first submission received: 4th October 2020. Revised submission received: 14th December 2020. Accepted: 27th March 2021 1. Introduction Indian philosophical traditions have received laconic scrutiny from the West. Most of the contemporary academic work in the West is based on the Greek philosophical tradition. Given this gap, this paper will attempt to provide an expository analysis of an ancient Indian school of thought in the context of organisational management. Specifically, this paper will focus on one specific school in Indian philosophy, namely Nyāya Sutras. In this paper, we attempt to implement the Sutras in solving real-world decision-making steps in an organisation.
    [Show full text]
  • Newsletter of the Centre of Jaina Studies
    Jaina Studies NEWSLETTER OF THE CENTRE OF JAINA STUDIES March 2009 Issue 4 CoJS Newsletter • March 2009 • Issue 4 Centre for Jaina Studies' Members _____________________________________________________________________ SOAS MEMBERS EXTERNAL MEMBERS Honorary President Paul Dundas Professor J Clifford Wright (University of Edinburgh) Vedic, Classical Sanskrit, Pali, and Prakrit Senior Lecturer in Sanskrit language and literature; comparative philology Dr William Johnson (University of Cardiff) Chair/Director of the Centre Jainism; Indian religion; Sanskrit Indian Dr Peter Flügel Epic; Classical Indian religions; Sanskrit drama. Jainism; Religion and society in South Asia; Anthropology of religion; Religion ASSOCIATE MEMBERS and law; South Asian diaspora. John Guy Professor Lawrence A. Babb (Metropolitan Mueum of Art) Dr Daud Ali (Amherst College) History of medieval South India; Chola Professor Phyllis Granoff courtly culture in early medieval India Professor Nalini Balbir (Yale University) (Sorbonne Nouvelle) Dr Crispin Branfoot Dr Julia Hegewald Hindu, Buddhist and Jain Architecture, Dr Piotr Balcerowicz (University of Manchester) Sculpture and Painting; Pilgrimage and (University of Warsaw) Sacred Geography, Archaeology and Professor Rishabh Chandra Jain Material Religion; South India Nick Barnard (Muzaffarpur University) (Victoria and Albert Museum) Professor Ian Brown Professor Padmanabh S. Jaini The modern economic and political Professor Satya Ranjan Banerjee (UC Berkeley) history of South East Asia; the economic (University of Kolkata)
    [Show full text]
  • Philosophy (PHL) 1
    Philosophy (PHL) 1 PHL 130 Political Philosophy 3 Credits PHILOSOPHY (PHL) An introduction to the problems of political philosophy with an emphasis on recent and contemporary issues, such as the conflict between liberal PHL 100 Plato and Aristotle 3 Credits and conservative ideologies, fascism, revolution, civil disobedience, and The beginnings of Western scientific and humanistic thought among the the concept of legitimate political authority. This course counts towards early Greeks and their progress into the two great systems of Plato and the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS Aristotle. Selections from Plato and Aristotle are read and discussed to general education curriculum. determine the meaning and significance of philosophical ideas that have PHL 202 Social Philosophy 3 Credits subsequently influenced the whole history of Western civilization. This Emphasizes social ethics through critical studies of such contemporary course counts towards the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives problems as abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, pornography and element of the CLAS general education curriculum. censorship, animal rights, drug use, sexual morality, environmental PHL 102 Philosophical Thinking 3 Credits ethics, and world hunger. This course counts towards the fulfillment of An introduction to philosophical thought with an emphasis on the the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS general education enduring questions and problems of philosophy. We will explore such curriculum. questions as: how do I know I am not dreaming? Is there an external PHL 203 Business Ethics 3 Credits world? What is truth? Is there a self? Is there a God? What is the Surveys and examines ethical problems concerning the institutions and relationship between the mind and the body? How can I tell right from practices of contemporary business.
    [Show full text]