A group blog of scholars exploring Indian philosophy
Mīmāṃsakas of both the Bhāṭṭa and the Prābhākara subschools refute the idea of a sphoṭa carrying the meaning and being different from what we experience, namely phonemes and words, since this contradicts the principle of parsimony and our common experience. Continue reading Meanings of Words and Sentences in Mīmāṃsā
I’ve been fortunate in the past year and a half to meet Charles Goodman at three different conferences, and to have long and stimulating discussions with him. Since our researches have both focused on Śāntideva’s ethics, we can critique each Continue reading Śāntideva vs. Singer
The following passage is from Yāmuna’s Ātmasiddhi and it is a description of the Advaita position about the brahman as being tantamount to consciousness: ato ‘syā na meyaḥ kaścid api dharmo ‘sti. ato nirdhūtanikhilabhedavikalpanirdharmaprakāśamātraikarasā kūṭasthanityā saṃvid evātmā paramātmā ca. yathāha Continue reading Viśiṣṭādvaitins speaking of Advaitins
A colleague alerted us to a series of posts by (or about) the philosophers and historian of philosophy Joel Katzav on various aspects of the intersection of politics and philosophy and its impact on the fortunes of (especially contemporary) Indian philosophy. Continue reading Contemporary Indian philosophy and its fortunes and misfortunes in European and Angloamerican journals UPDATED!
Do we need God to make sense of the world’s reality? Michael Dummett, who was surely not known for his religious fanatism came to this conclusion. God is, for this well-known philosopher, the objective perspective from which the world can Continue reading God and the reality of the world (on Alex Watson’s contribution to a workshop in Hawai’i)
J. L. Shaw is an important figure in the contemporary movement to understand India’s śāstric traditions through analytic philosophy. Unfortunately (like other figures, including Kishor Chakrabarti), his influence is sometimes underappreciated given the preeminence of Matilal, Mohanty, Potter, and their followers. It is refreshing Continue reading NDPR review of The Collected Writings of Jaysankar Lal Shaw: Indian Analytic and Anglophone Philosophy
I have recently returned from a conference in India (the “Prakrit International Conference” or प्राकृत अंतर्राष्ट्रीय संमेलन्), about which I may or may not say more in a subsequent post, but I wanted to share this observation, which seems like Continue reading भारतीय दर्शन एवं भारतीय भाषाएं
A reader asks: I am learning Sanskrit and would appreciate any suggestions for an English-language, classroom-style “online” or “distance learning” intermediate class. I have begun with Nikhil Gandhi (Maurer’s book) and plan to continue with an online class at the Continue reading Query on online courses of Sanskrit
From the publisher (Bloomsbury): Indian Epistemology and Metaphysics introduces the reader to new perspectives on Indian philosophy based on philological research within the last twenty years.Concentrating on topics such as perception, inference, skepticism, consciousness, self, mind, and universals, some of the Continue reading Book Announcement–Indian Epistemology and Metaphysics (Bloomsbury), ed. Joerg Tuske
This article came out a little while ago, in India’s Seminar magazine. But it’s well worth highlighting here. Alex reflects on the ways that textual scholarship, philosophical reflection, and historical reconstruction intersect in the study of Indian philosophy. Link: http://www.india-seminar.com/2015/671/671_alex_watson.htm