Some thoughts on the terms śabda and “testimony”

In the context of epistemology and pramāṇa theory, we often translate śabda as “testimony.” It is reasonable to do so, since using “word” in sentences like “Word is a genuine source of knowledge” is unpleasant to the ear and confusing Continue reading Some thoughts on the terms śabda and “testimony”→

Book Review of An Introduction to Indian Philosophy by Roy W. Perrett (Reviewed by Matthew R. Dasti)

Roy W. Perrett. An Introduction to Indian Philosophy. 249pp. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016.  $34.99 (paperback). When introducing the wide-range of Indian philosophy to a new audience, there have been two major approaches: the schools approach and the topics approach. Continue reading Book Review of An Introduction to Indian Philosophy by Roy W. Perrett (Reviewed by Matthew R. Dasti)→

Where is Philosophy?: A Response to Nicholas Tampio

Last week there was a call from political science professor Nicholas Tampio to narrowly define philosophy as a discipline responding either directly to Plato’s Republic or at least part of a self-consciously Socratic-Platonic tradition of inquiry.  I recommend reading Tampio’s essay, “Not Continue reading Where is Philosophy?: A Response to Nicholas Tampio→

Epistemology and Comparative Philosophy in Confluence and the APA Blog

At the beginning of the month, there was an interdisciplinary conference in Kanazawa, Japan–the International Conference on Ethno-Epistemology – Culture, Language, and Methodology. Jonardon Ganeri gave a keynote presentation, “Pluralism about Epistemic Cultures” and Anand Vaidya, along with Purushottama Billimoria, gave Continue reading Epistemology and Comparative Philosophy in Confluence and the APA Blog→

Jonardon Ganeri, “Why philosophy must go global”

Jonardon Ganeri of NYU gave a lecture at Stony Brook University on March 2, 2016 entitled “Why Philosophy Must Go Global.” You can click on the video below to watch. In this lecture Prof. Ganeri draws from Jain nayavāda and Madhyamaka Continue reading Jonardon Ganeri, “Why philosophy must go global”→

Has Philosophy Lost Its Way? — Vaidya on the Case of Indian Philosophy

Anand Vaidya, a contributor here on the blog, has written a series of new posts over at the Blog of the APA (American Philosophical Association).  Anand is responding to some recent discussions about the value of philosophy as a discipline Continue reading Has Philosophy Lost Its Way? — Vaidya on the Case of Indian Philosophy→

Teaching the Tarkasaṃgraha to first-year students

What follows is a reflection on my experiences teaching the Tarkasaṃgraha, as I promised in the comments to a recent post. Part of my job at Yale-NUS College is to teach a college-wide common curriculum course that spans two semesters. It’s called Continue reading Teaching the Tarkasaṃgraha to first-year students→

Dialog between Science and Philosophy: a new event

The event, sponsored by the Indian council of Philosophical Research, Delhi, is scheduled to be held as a Discussion meeting in the Poornaprajna Institute of Scientific Research, Bangalore from 25th Oct to 27th October. The event is an outgrowth of Continue reading Dialog between Science and Philosophy: a new event→

Vaidya on Indian Philosophy and the Inclusion Problem in Critical Thinking Education

Blog contributor Anand Vaidya has written before on what he calls the inclusion problem in philosophy (see links to his previous discussions here).  In a new post on the Blog of the APA he’s considering what Indian philosophy might contribute to Continue reading Vaidya on Indian Philosophy and the Inclusion Problem in Critical Thinking Education→