An Advaita Vedanta Perspective on Language

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Book Specification

Item Code:	IDH565
Author:	John Grimes
Publisher:	Sri Satguru Publications
Language:	English
Edition:	1991
ISBN:	8170302501
Pages:	288
Cover:	Hardcover
Other Details	8.8" X 5.8"
Weight	452 gm

Book Description

From the Jacket

An Advaita Vedanta Perspective on Language is an attempt to solve the problems inherent in religious assertions. Philosophers in general and linguistic philosophers in particular are concerned with what can and cannot be expressed in language. The problem is: how to talk intelligibly about a divine subject-matter using ordinary, mundane human language? Religious discourse uses ordinary words of day-to day discourse in an extraordinary way what is the justification for this special use of ordinary language? What do the words of religious discourse mean and what function do they have? Are they cognitive, factual and verifiable or are they non-cognitive, non-factual, and unverifiable. This thesis depicts tow paradigmatic approaches to these questions. Either religious discourse refers to an other and the approach to the remote and foreign other must be through perception or mediated concepts; or religious discourse refers to the very constitutive being of anything whatsoever and as such is self-evident, immediate, and certain. The former approach postulates a gap between the Reality and the individual while the latter approach emphasizes identity. Advaita's solution declares that religious discourse primarily concerns individuals, here and now, and not a God, above and beyond. Methodologically its analysis commences with existence and culminates in essence-declaring that in fact the two are not different. It refers to that which is immediately evident and immanently present unlike the general approach to an other which in one degree or another searches elsewhere.

About the Author

John A. Grimes earned his B.A. from the University of California at Santa Barbara and his Master's and PhD degrees from the Radhakrishnan Institute for Advanced Study in Philosophy, University of Madras. His major area of specialization is Advaita Vedanta. His publications include: A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy, Sapta Vidha Anupaptti: The Seven Great Untenables and Quest for Certainty: a Comparative Study of Heidegger and Sankara. At present Grimes is an Assistant Professor at the University of Lethbridge, Lethbrodge, Alberta, Canada.

CONTENTS

	Preface	xiii
	Introduction	1
Chapter One	ADVAITA VEDANTA PROSPECTUS
1	Religious Discourse-The Problem	35
2	Indirect Approaches	38
3	The Gap	39
4	Religious Discourse- Its use	41
5	Peculiarities of Religious Discourse	42
6	The Theme of Advaita Vedanta	46
7	Sankara's Solution	46
8	Advaita and Language	50
Chapter Two	APPROACHES AND PERSPECTIVES
1	Introduction	51
2	Method	53
3	Methodology	61
4	Relation to Epistemology	63
5	Language and Knowledge	65
6	Brahman- Atman	68
7	Brahman- The Objective Vision	73
8	Is the Absolute Known or Not?	76
9	Atman- The Subjective Vision	79
10	Atman is Brahman	81
Chapter Three	THE INDIAN MILLIEU
1	Introduction to Indian Solutions	83
PART ONE
1	Carvakas	88
2	Buddhism	89
3	Nagarjuna	92
4	Nyaya Definition of Words as Knowledge	93
5	Nyaya Theory of Truth	95
6	Rational Proofs for Religious Discourse	97
7	Vaisesika	98
8	Sankhya	99
9	Yoga	100
10	Mimamsa- Words as Knowledge Defined	101
11	Ritualistic Pragmaticism	102
12	Authority of Veda	103
13	Grammarians	105
PART TWO	SABDA PRAMANA VIS A VIS ADVAITA
1	Words as Knowledge Defined	108
2	Distinctive Character of words as Knowledge	109
3	Twofold Capacity of words as Knowledge	111
4	Words as Knowledge as the Only Means of Supersensuous Knowledge	112
5	Self-Validity of Knowledge	113
6	Perception of Words as Verbal Symbols	114
7	Relation between a Word and its Meaning	117
8	Words Refer to Universals	120
9	Secondary Meanings	122
10	Anivitabhidhanavada	124
11	Conditions of Significant Combination	130
12	Akanksa	130
13	Yogyata	132
14	Asatti	133
15	Tatparya	134
Chapter Four	WESTERN APPROACHES
1	Introduction	139
2	Introduction to Quasi Cognitive Aproach	142
3	Analogy	143
4	Comment	144
5	Symbolic Language	148
6	Comment	151
7	Analysis	155
8	The Problem of verification	156
9	Fence sitting	158
10	Comment	160
11	Ontological Atheism	163
12	Comment	164
13	Flew's Challenge	165
14	Comment	167
15	Analysis	169
16	Introduction to Non-Cognitive Solution	170
17	Cognitive Cum Non Cognitive	171
18	Comment	172
19	An Empiricist's View	174
20	Comment	176
21	Bliks	177
22	Comment	179
23	Telling the Theistic Parable	180
24	Comment	181
25	Factuality without Verification	182
26	Comment	183
27	Eschatology	184
28	Comment	186
29	Appropriate Practices Produce Appropriate Results	188
30	Comment	189
31	Convictionalism	190
32	Comment	192
33	Language Games	193
34	Comment	194
35	Linguacentricism	197
36	Comment	199
37	Oddity	200
38	Comment	201
39	Analysis	203
40	Authority	204
41	Comment	207
42	Analysis	209
Chapter Five	ADVAITA'S SOLUTION
1	Introduction	211
2	Two Approaches to Religious Discourse	213
3	Consequences of the Two Approaches	214
4	Two Levels of Language	224
5	A Two Level Theory of Religious Discourse	227
6	Can the Absolute Be Signified Directly?	232
7	Second Level problems	240
8	Satkaryavada and Astkaryavada	244
9	One Level Language- Absolute Language	251
10	Language about the Absolute	257
	RETROSPECT OF RESULTS	264
	1. Comment	268
	Bibliography	271
	Index	285

**Contents and Sample Pages**

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