The work An Anthology of Indian Philosophy, as its title suggests, is a collection of essays written at various times and in different contexts, primarily for presentation at international conferences held across the globe. These essays underscore the existence of a genuine and authentic indigenous philosophy in India, capable of offering rational explanations to universal philosophical inquiries.
Challenging the assertions of the majority of Western philosophers who claim that philosophy originates solely from Greece and that there is no philosophy beyond the Greek tradition-the intercultural philosophical movement highlights the diverse philosophical traditions of various cultures and regions. India, with its rich and longstanding philosophical heritage, holds a prominent place in this discourse. Each essay in the anthology reflects the Indian perspective on the theme being addressed.
The twenty essays in this volume are organized into three sections:
1 The first seven essays explore intercultural themes.
2 The next seven focus on philosophical and soteriological themes.
3 The final six essays examine social and pedagogical themes.
Although the essays were presented to diverse audiences with varied backgrounds, the unifying theme of Indian/Oriental philosophy runs consistently throughout.
VINCENT GABRIEL FURTADO pursued postgraduate studies in philosophy in India before undertaking research in Germany on the Indian philosophical tradition. He successfully defended his thesis, Classical Samkhya Ethics, in 1992. Since then, he has taught philosophy at various institutions and is currently serving as an emeritus professor of philosophy in Mysore, India.
The Indian Philosophy remains as a hidden treasure in India and the efforts made to unearth this precious hidden treasure are hardly visible. India can proudly claim to possess well equipped multiple Indian Institutes of Technology, but none seem to have ever thought of founding even a single Institute of Indian Philosophy. At least the erudite scholars of Philosophy in India could become more prolific in the noble task of disseminating Indian Philosophy globally. The present work is a small attempt towards this.
Another reason why Indian Philosophy remained concealed in ancient manuscripts is the historical prejudice of scholars of the West towards Indian Philosophy. Diogenes Laertius in the third Century CE declared that 'The origin of philosophy is Greek and nothing but Greek.' Since then there has been widespread misunderstanding that there cannot be any philosophy in the Orient and Occident alone can claim to possess 'pure thought. The 'Introduction' or the first essay of this 'anthology' succinctly attempts to respond to this argument. The publication of the multi-volume Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophy edited by Karl H. Potter can go a long way in transforming the mindset of Western Philosophers and also provide a welcome fillip to Indian Philosophy.
Most of the essays found in the current work are papers presented at various National and International Conferences. In 1995 Dr. Raúl Fornet-Betancourt invited me to Mexico to present a paper for the First International Congress on Intercultural Philosophy on the theme of the Congress from the Asian perspective. Now 15 such conferences have been conducted by him in various parts of the world and I had the privilege of receiving an invitation to participate in all of them and present papers from the Indian/Asian perspective. 1 succeeded to attend 12 of them, along with several other colloquiums organised by him; hence in gratitude I dedicate this volume to him.
The organisation MWI in Aachen, Germany responded to my project and provided financial support. I remain indebted to Dr. Thomas Fornet-Ponse its Director, and Dr. Annette Meuthrath its Coordinator, for the fiscal aid provided to print and bring out the book. With deep gratitude I remember Dr. Joseph Estermann who was also a constant participant in all the Conferences and a source of encouragement throughout, very specially for the publication of this volume.
Mr. R.P. Jain of Motilal Banarsidass not only came forward to take up the task of publication, but also proposed that I should write a general 'introduction' to the book. The first essay, Towards Intercultural Philosophy was written in response to his suggestion. I remain grateful to him and the entire staff of the publication. Dr. Sanjana Mehta, a colleague and friend of mine, was generous in her contribution and support for the realisation of the project. May she be rewarded a hundredfold.
I owe my indebtedness to all my superiors who not only approved and supported this project but also encouraged to implement it. To my innumerable friends who have accompanied me constantly throughout the preparation of this manuscript for publication, I salute with a heart replete with gratitude. May all be blessed and may the work find satisfactory reception.
Hindu (1752)
Philosophers (2370)
Aesthetics (329)
Comparative (70)
Dictionary (12)
Ethics (41)
Language (370)
Logic (73)
Mimamsa (57)
Nyaya (139)
Psychology (421)
Samkhya (62)
Shaivism (58)
Shankaracharya (237)
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