A group blog of scholars exploring Indian philosophy
Ashoka University is now accepting applications for our PhD program in Philosophy (details here: https://www.ashoka.edu.in/programme/phd-programme-in-philosophy/). The program is five years long and is fully funded. Students do coursework for two years then write a dissertation. International applicants are welcome. Our faculty with Continue reading PhD program in Philosophy at Ashoka University
My previous post on Kumārila’s cognition of the I (here: https://elisafreschi.com/2026/02/15/does-kumarila-accept-i-cognition-as-a-kind-of-perception/) was part of an ongoing conversation with Alex Watson, who patiently prompted me to read or re-read (respectively) his 2010 (“Bhaṭṭa Rāmakaṇṭha’s Elaboration of Self-Awareness (svasaṃvedana)…”) and 2020 (“Four Continue reading Again on ahampratyaya in Kumārila (using Watson 2010 and 2020)
CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA Forum on International Legal History & Philosophy, 15 April 2026 (in-person) Call for Papers and Engaged Listeners About: This Call for ideas (in the form of detailed abstracts) invites scholars working in International Law, Constitutional Continue reading Forum on International Legal History & Philosophy in India, CfP
Kumārila is an extremely systematic thinker. Thus, if there is a seeming contradiction in Kumārila’s thought, it is likely the case that the contradiction is only a seeming one and that it can be solved. In the case at stake, Continue reading Does Kumārila accept I-cognition as a kind of perception?
Mīmāṃsā authors distinguish between fixed/conditional duties on the one hand, and elective duties on the other. Even Maṇḍana wants to keep them distinct, though insisting that in both cases the commands can be reduced to descriptions of states of affairs. Continue reading Fixed duties vs imperfect duties
So, you think that Western thought is more diverse and interesting than “non-Western thought”? I have a non-polemical question: What did you read within what you call “non-Western thought”? If the list is extremely short compared to what you know Continue reading So, you think that Western thought is more diverse and interesting than “non-Western thought”?
Krishnachandra Bhattacharyya (KCB) has been India’s foremost twentieth-century philosopher and is considered the father of contemporary Indian philosophy (CIP). His works have been dense, and scholars have often struggled to unravel the true depth of his philosophical acumen. One such Continue reading Subject as Freedom: A Contemporary Translation
Sanskrit philosophy is extremely sophisticated and I am convinced that we don’t need to borrow categories from Euro-American philosophy to better understand it. Parallels to Euro-American theories are welcome because they can help us focus on overlooked aspects, but they Continue reading A word of caution on philosophical methodology
The autobiography of (Saint) Teresa of Ávila is a most remarkable book. Its beginning sections on Teresa’s early life feel at once relatable (she recalls her youthful interest in making herself pretty) and utterly alien: she and her brother admired Continue reading Nondual mindfulness in Teresa of Ávila
Did Kumārila believe in the language-independent existence of deities? In their efficacy within sacrifices? I believe he did not. Sacrifices work independently of deities who at most might be Epicurean-like entities, with no function in human lives. For this purpose, Continue reading Kumārila on deities