Debates In Indian Philosophy:Classical, Colonial, and Contemporary

DEBATES IN INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

Classical, Colonial, and Contemporary

Debates in Indian Philosophy retraces the deep and disturbing impact of colonialism and Western philosophy on the dialogical structure of Indian thought. It highlights the general tendency in contemporary Indian philosophy to avoid direct dialogue as opposed to the rich and elaborate debates that formed the pivot of the classical Indian tradition.

Perusing works in and on Indian philosophy, the author searches for possible and hidden dialogues. He identifies three important areas where there is a clear possibility of debate: between Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi; V. D. Savarkar and Mahatma Gandhi; and Sri Aurobindo and Krishnachandra Bhattacharyya. He retrieves these debates on state and pre-modern society, religion, and politics, and science and spiritualism respectively.

He concludes by indicating possible directions that Indian philosophy can take, and explicates the nature of the postcolonial self-not merely at a political level but by restoring the metaphysical texts of contemporary India. Providing theoretical gravitas to ongoing political and sociological debates, Raghuramaraju sheds light on their philosophical underpinnings. This book will be of considerable interest not only to students and scholars of Indian philosophy and religious studies but to scholars of politics and sociology as well.

About the Author:

A. Raghuramaraju is Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Hyderabad.