The Mīmāṃsā approach to the sentence meaning as something to be done

According to Mīmāṃsā authors, and unlike Nyāya ones, Vedic sentences do not convey the existence of something, but rather that something should be done. This means that the entire Veda is an instrument of knowledge only as regards duties and Continue reading The Mīmāṃsā approach to the sentence meaning as something to be done

CFP: B. K. Matilal: The Past and Future of Indian Philosophy

I have agreed to guest edit, along with Prasanta Bandyopadhyay, the Fall 2017 edition of the APA Newsletter on Asian and Asian-American Philosophers and Philosophies.  The theme of the issue will be “B. K. Matilal: The Past and Future of Indian Continue reading CFP: B. K. Matilal: The Past and Future of Indian Philosophy

Latest issue of Synthese

Readers may be interested to know that the journal Synthese, which characterizes itself as “An International Journal for Epistemology, Methodology and Philosophy of Science”, is publishing an article about the Bhagavad Gītā and Spinoza, currently available under “Online first.” The journal Continue reading Latest issue of Synthese

Farewell to “Yavanayāna”

[Cross-posted on Love of All Wisdom.] Late last year I was delighted to see a post from Richard Payne retracting his earlier post on “White Buddhism”, motivated at least in part by my critique. It is all too rare to Continue reading Farewell to “Yavanayāna”

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”

Bhoja’s comments on Adhyeyam–a Guest Post by Satyanarayana Hegde

In the second pariccheda of Sarasvatīkaṇṭhābharaṇālaṅkāra (1025 CE) titled śabdālaṅkāravivecanam, Bhoja defines at 2.138 the śabdālaṅkāra Adhyeyam (Śarmā and Paṇśīkar 1934:304): yadvidhau ca niṣedhe ca vyutpattereva kāraṇam tadadhyeyam vidustena lokayātrā pravartate Bhoja at Sarasvatīkaṇṭhābharaṇālaṅkāra 2.139 divides Adhyeyam into six subtypes-kāvya, Continue reading Bhoja’s comments on Adhyeyam–a Guest Post by Satyanarayana Hegde

Interpretation vs. Explication II: choosing between Truth and Objectivity

Thanks to Elisa Freschi and Malcolm Keating for prompting me to post about interpretation and explication. In the previous post, titled “Interpretation vs. Explication I: background (Truth and Objectivity)” I set out the logical distinctions we need in view to Continue reading Interpretation vs. Explication II: choosing between Truth and Objectivity