A group blog of scholars exploring Indian philosophy
The following, fascinating book from Vrinda Dalmiya is available to be reviewed for Philosophy East and West: Caring to Know, Comparative Care Ethics, Feminist Epistemology, and the Mahabharata, OUP 2016 Link here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/caring-to-know-9780199464760?cc=us&lang=en& If anyone is interested, please send me an Continue reading Soliciting a book review for PEW
A new special issue of the Journal of Indian Philosophy is dedicated to “Locating Philosophy in the Mahābhārata.” James L. Fitzgerald introduces the articles in a paper available online without institutional access. We’ve talked on the blog before (examples here Continue reading Special issue of the Journal of Indian Philosophy: Mahābhārata
I’m continuing to examine Justin Whitaker‘s interpretation of Pali Buddhist ethics as Kantian moral law. I argued last time that the concept of dhamma does not serve in these texts as a universal, trans-human moral law. Here I want to Continue reading Karmic punishment is not a good thing
In his interesting recent Buddhism and Political Theory, Matthew Moore sums up current scholarly work on Buddhist ethics noting “There are several major debates ongoing in the field, particularly whether early Buddhist ethics are better understood as consequentialist or a Continue reading The dhamma is not a transcendent law
As I noted last time, I think the disregard of ethics by Indian-philosophy scholars like Dan Arnold is a problem in itself: it’s a misconception of what philosophy is, and one that harmfully shrinks the field of the study of Continue reading The significance of ethics to Candrakīrti’s metaphysics
It is commonplace today for scholars of Indian philosophy to focus their attention entirely on theoretical philosophy at the expense of the practical. I think this tendency is a mistake. I see at least two grave problems with it. First: Continue reading Don’t exclude ethics from philosophy
Cross-posted at Love of All Wisdom. I’ve been thinking lately about MacIntyre’s explanation of the Muslim philosopher ibn Sīnā and the ways in which ibn Sīnā’s concept of God requires us to rethink the entire world around us if we Continue reading ibn Sīnā and Śāntideva on the incompleteness of the world
Cross-posted at Love of All Wisdom. Śāntideva’s anti-political views are very commonly missed by Buddhist scholars today, especially constructive or theological ones, who are excited by the Engaged Buddhist embrace of political action. He is hardly alone among classical Indian Continue reading Disengaged Buddhism in the era of Trump
Our own Amod Lele will be giving a talk at a conference organized by Pierre-Julien Harter at the University of Utah, on April 21-22. The other philosophers there, and their talks may also be of interest to readers of this Continue reading Upcoming talks on Buddhism in Utah April 21-22
(I have been asked to write a short introduction to Viśiṣṭādvaita Vedānta and would like to test it on you, dear readers and fellow bloggers. Any comment or criticism would be more than welcome!) In its full-fledged form, the Viśiṣṭādvaita Continue reading A basic introduction to Viśiṣṭādvaita Vedānta_UPDATED