Joshi - Bedekar College, Thane / website : www.vpmthane.org 1 The Task of An Indian Philosopher Today Dr. (Mrs.) Shakuntala Singh Principal, Joshi-Bedekar College, Thane
[email protected] Between two extremes of thought about the obligatory (may be even bordering on reverence Indian philosophies lie the vast majority of us. On the for some), a blind believer’s attitude (a blind one extreme are the committed believers, who are reverence) is certainly misplaced. convinced that whatever worthwhile had to be written iii) It is possible to constructively reinterpret or thought of in the Indian Philosophies has already traditional Indian concepts and find their been down by our ancients. All that we can do today relevance to modern Indian philosophizing, as is understand it in all its subtleties and clarify it for a well as in the world-context, i.e. in the context of larger audience. On the other extreme lie the members Indian thought’s contribution to World- of the so-called rational scientific-analytical, and often philosophy. And it is possible to construct atheist, group who are fundamentally antagonistic to suitable paradigms of study for the modern Indian such a reverence, which they believe, borders on dogma thinker based on these traditional concepts. and religion. Somewhere in between the two, lie the vast majority of people working on the Indian iv) This type of systematic and comprehensive work Philosophies today, some more inclined to one side, has not been carried out till now although it is the some to the other. Fortunately or unfortunately, and hope, the wish and the ambition of many.