Philosophers of Modern India
With the introduction of English Education in India, professional philosophers in India got in touch with European philosophical tradition. This led philosophers in India to understand and interpret many of the European philosophical debates in the light of ideas available in classical Indian philosophy resulting in the emergence of a cosmopolitan philosophy. Attempts have been made to digitize many of the works of these philosophers with the hope that new vistas would be opened up following the line of thinking of this genre of modern Indian philosophers.
A Study of Patañjali
The present book, written by Surendranatah Dasgupta, is a philosophical exposition of the views of Patañjali. There are ten chapters in the book: 1. Introductory: Beginning with Puruṣa and Prakṛti, 2. Puruṣa and Guṇas in Sāṁkhya-Yoga Cosmogony, 3. Cosmic Evolution: An Analysis, 4. Theories of Evolution and God, 5. Ethical Doctrines, 6. Lead to Salvation: Ethical Practices, 7. Yogic Conduct of Life, 8. Analysis of Miscellaneous Doctrines, 9. Sphoṭavāda: Semantic Theory and 10. Recapitulation. In this book, the reader finds a detailed analysis of the entire philosophy of Patañjali.
Alternative Standpoint in Philosophy
This is one of the most seminal works of Kalidas Bhattacharyya. Bhattacharyya speaks of the constant need that philosophers have felt to justify their work and their discipline. Bhattacharyya thinks that the modern defense of Philosophy is only possible through what he calls logic of alternation. Bhattacharyya’s position is that we can provide Philosophy with such a defense only by attempting a novel understanding of the knowledge-object unity. Bhattacharyya claims that this attempt is ingrained in the very being of all the important Indian systems of thought. This book is both a historical and comparative study of the basis of all Philosophy. The book has four chapters. Chapter One is on “Knowledge of Object” where the close unity of knowledge and its object is emphasized. In this connection, Bhattacharyya discusses subjective and objective attitudes and also the contradiction between subjectivity and object. Chapter Two is on “Types of Philosophy”. In this chapter, Bhattacharyya tries to show that the Unity of Knowledge and Object is Unrejectable and their unity is inevitable. Those who reject the knowledge-object unity do so because they think that such a unity would definitely lead to some kind of contradiction. But Bhattacharyya would like to show that this contradiction too is not rejectable. Actually, the Unity that he speaks of is a Disjunctive Unity. This disjunctive unity actually indicates that we have to stand alternatively on the subjective and the objective attitudes and reach a kind of dialectical unity. He then goes on to speak of the subject-object and the absolute as alternatives. In Chapter Three, “Cognition Feeling and Conation” Bhattacharyya takes up these three notions which seem to be opposed to each other. The first three chapters are analyses of these notions while the last section sees Cognition, Feeling and Conation as Alternatives. In Chapter Four Bhattacharyya considers “Further Alternatives” such as Jñāna Bhakti and Karma. He speaks of the three kinds of infinity in this chapter. The book ends with the idea of the Ultimate Alternation.
An Introduction to Indian Philosophy
This book, written jointly by Satischandra Chatterjee and Dhirendramohan Datta, offers an introduction to the three nāstika and six āstika schools of classical Indian Philosophy. The authors present the salient epistemological, logical, metaphysical and ethical views of each of the schools of classical Indian philosophy.
Anthropology and Historiography of Science
Anthropology and Historiography of Science, authored by D.P.Chattopadhyaya, is a philosophical study of the complex relationship of science to culture in general. The major question that the book addresses is: How do different cultures understand and interpret science as part of human activity? The anthropological investigation is an important part of the study. There are six chapters and an epilogue in the book.
Basanta Kumar Mallik: A Garland of Homage from Some who knew him well, with a Biography
This is a collection of articles on the philosophy of Basanta Kumar Mallik. The book is divided into four parts. The first part offers a detailed biography of Mallik while the second part contains two letters addressed to him. The third part contains essays on the different aspects of philosophy of Mallik. In the fourth part, one comes across some personal memoirs of people who came into contact with Mallik.
Classical Indian Philosophies: Their Synthesis in The Philosophy of Sri Ramakrishna
In this book, Satischandra Chatterjee, presents the salient views of different classical Indian philosophical systems and shows how these divergent views could be synthesized in the philosophy of Ramakrishna. The book contains ten chapters: 1. Introduction, 2. The Cārvāka Philosophy, 3. The Bauddha Philosophy, 4. The Jaina Philosophy, 5. The Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika Philosophy, 6. The Sāṃkhya-Yoga Philosophy, 7. The Mīmāṃsā Philosophy, 8. The Vedānta Philosophy, 9. The Synthesis of the Systems and 10. The Philosophy of Ramakrishna. The author argues how on the basis of the idea of adhikāri-veda the divergent views of the different philosophical systems could be synthesised and the author takes cues from the ideas advocated by Sri Ramakrishna in this attempt.
Cultural Otherness and Beyond
Cultural Otherness and Beyond is a collection of essays on philosophy of culture. This volume is edited by Chhanda Gupta and D.P.Chattopadhyaya. There are eleven essays in this volume, all dealing with the very idea of culture and nature of understanding a culture. This brings in the idea of exchange among different cultures where the concept of other plays an important role.
Facts of Buddhist Thought
The present book comprises three chapters: 1. Pratītyasamutpāda in Buddhist philosophy, 2. The Mādhyamika and the philosophy of language and 3. Idealism and Absolutism - A Buddhist synthesis. In the first chapter A.K.Chatterjee, the author, traces the theory of pratītyasamutpāda from the Abhidharmika stage through Mādhyamika and Yogācāra interpretations. In the second chapter, the author defends the Mādhyamika position in terms of metalanguage and object-language distinction. The third chapter takes up the issue of Yogācāra idealism in terms of sahopalambha-niyama and shows how idealism culminates in Absolutism.
Fundamental Questions of Indian Metaphysics and Logic
Susil Kumar Maitra, in this book, offers an analysis of some of the key metaphysical and logical ideas available in classical Indian philosophy. The book is divided into two parts: I. Metaphysics and II. Logic. Under the part ‘Metaphysics’ the author discusses the Buddhist doctrine of momentariness, Nyāya theories of causality, universal, samavāya, viśeṣa, self etc. The Nyāya proofs for the existence of god and the Sāṃkhya theory of plurality of puruṣa have also been presented. The author incorporates an analysis of Jaina’s theory of saptabhaṅginaya and Saṅkarācārya’s analysis of the idea of falsity. Under the Logic part, the author presents the different theories of perception, inference, śabda, upamāna, arthāpatti and anupalabdhi. The author also includes discussions on Apoha and theories of validity.
Gaṅgeśa’s Theory of Indeterminate Perception (Nirvikalpakavāda) Part- 1
In the part one of this book, Sibajiban Bhattacharyya, presents an introductory analysis of Navya-Nyāya philosophy. The book is divided into five chapters: 1. The Navya-Nyāya Theory of Cognition, 2. Some basic Concepts of Navya-Nyāya, 3. Navya-Nyāya Theory of Inference, 4. Some Terms of the Technical Language of Navya-Nyāya and 5. Some Aspects of Navya-Nyāya Theory of Language.
Gaṅgeśa’s Theory of Indeterminate Perception (Nirvikalpakavāda) Part- 2
The present book is an English translation and explanation of the chapter on Nirvikalpakavāda in Tattacintāmaṇi by Gaṅgeṣa. Each of the parts of the original text has been followed by an explanation. Many objections to Gaṅgeṣa’s theory of indeterminate perception have been explained and responded to by the author.
Gopinath Kaviraj’s Thoughts – Towards a Systematic Study
This book by Kalidas Bhattacharyya is a collection of Mahamahopadhyay Gopinath Kaviraj Memorial lectures delivered by Kalidas Bhattacharyya in the year 1980. Bhattacharya here explores the works of Gopinath Kaviraj written in the later years of his life. Kaviraj was an extraordinary scholar who was well-versed in both the philosophical and religious literature of India as well as the west. Above all, he was a sādhana. He was principally a Śaiva, particularly of the monistic kind, However, as Bhattacharyya claims, this Śaiva doctrine received certain innovative twists in the hands of Kaviraj and became a kind of Śaiva Dualism. Kaviraj was equally interested in Tantra, Yoga, Mahāyāna Buddhism, Gauḍiya Vaiṣnavism and also Śankara’s Advaita Vedānta. In this book, Kalidas Bhattacharyya explores the notion of Transcendence and the justification of this notion that we find in the works of Gopinath Kaviraj. He discusses the different regions of Transcendence and finally goes on to discuss the idea of Pūrṇatā or Ultimate Perfection as developed by Kaviraj.
Heteroclitic Fragments and Heretical Comments
This book is a collection of six essays written by A.P.Rao. All the essays offer the author’s own views on some of the issues that have been dealt with in recent Logic and Metaphysics. The book starts with an essay on Leibnitz. The author articulates his own understanding of some of the logical problems attended to by Russell and Wittgenstein. Also, there are discussions on views on ontology expressed by Quine.
History of Navya Nyāya in Mithilā
The present book is a detailed history of Navya-Nyāya scholarship in Mithilā, located in the state of Bihar, India. Of the two main centres of Navya-Nyāya, Mithilā is well-known for being the birthplace of Gaṅgeśa, the originator of Navya-Nyāya. The book has six chapters: 1. Udayanācarya: his predecessors and successors, 2. Pre-Gaṅgeśa writers, 3. Gaṅgeśa Upādhyaya and his son Vardhamāna, 4. The age of expansion, 5. The age of four M’s and 6. Modern scholarship. The author presents brief life-sketches and brief descriptions of the works of these philosophers.
History, Society and Polity
In History, Society and Polity, D.P.Chattopadhyaya undertakes a detailed study of the sociological ideas of Sri Aurobindo. The book is divided into eleven chapters. In all these chapters the author presents Sri Aurobindo’s insights on society, state and individual and the nature of their interaction. A comparative study of Marx and Aurobindo has been embarked on by the author in this book.
History, Time and Truth (Essays in Honour of Professor D.P. Chattopadhyaya)
History, Time and Truth is a collection of essays dedicated to the philosophical contribution of D.P.Chattopadhyaya. All the essays in this volume throw light on two major aspects of D.P.Chattopadhyaya’s philosophical interest, viz. the relation between individual and society and the relation between science, history and culture. There are twenty three essays in the present volume.
India of the age of the Brāhmaṇas
This book, written by Jogiraj Basu, offers a detailed history of ancient Indian society and culture as found in the Brāhmaṇa texts. The book contains four major parts, each part containing many more chapters. The first part (Book I) contains a discussion on the social and economic aspects of ancient society. The second part (Book II) contains a discussion on the political and military aspects of the ancient society. In the third part (Book III) one finds a description of the religio- philosophical speculations of the ancient society. The last part (Book IV) contains a discussion on the flora and the fauna, the ideas of calendar and astronomy as found in Brahmanic literature.
Induction Probability and Skepticism
Induction, Probability and Skepticism, authored by D.P.Chattopadhyaya, is a detailed study of the philosophical questions associated with induction. Chattopadhyaya presents several attempts made in the history of philosophy to address the problem of induction. This leads Chattopadhyaya to deal with the issue of skepticism and how different philosophers responded to skepticism.
Inference in Indian and Western Logic
The present book is an analysis of the theory of inference. In the seven chapters, the book deals with 1. Introducing the theme, 2. Judgement and Truth, 3. Inference and Validity, 4. Implication, 5. Constituents of Inference, 6. Types of Inference and 7. Concluding observation. In many contexts, the author brings in the insights of several western philosophers and compares these with those of Indian philosophers.
Interdisciplinary Studies in Science Technology Philosophy and Culture
Science, Technology, Philosophy and Culture, written by D.P.Chattopadhyaya, is a collection of twelve essays where the author presents his views on some aspects of Philosophy of Technology. Several of the essays deal with the role of technology in human society and its relation to other aspects of human experience.
Introduction To The Purva Mīmāṃsā
The book, while offering an introduction to Purva-Mīmāṃsā, is divided into three chapters, each chapter divided into several sections. The first chapter contains a general discussion on the nature of darśana, on the general significance of Purva-Mīmāṃsā and Uttara-Mīmāṃsā including both the schools of Kumarila and Prabhākara. Chapter two contains a discussion on pramā and pramāṇa in Mīmāṃsā philosophy. In chapter three, one finds discourse on the nature of Ātman, God and liberation. The last part of the book contains a discussion on the relationship between Mīmāṃsā maxims and Hindu Law.
Knowledge Freedom and Language (An Interwoven Fabric of Man, Time and World)
Knowledge, Freedom and Language, written by D.P.Chattopadhyaya, is a collection of fifteen essays. All the essays attempt to explore the two major aspects of human behaviour, viz. 1. Language using animal and 2. Freedom-seeking animal. The essays present Chattopadhyaya’s views on the nature and role of language in human experience, while some other essays deal with several philosophical issues regarding freedom, determinism etc.
With the introduction of English Education in India, professional philosophers in India got in touch with European philosophical tradition. This led philosophers in India to understand and interpret many of the European philosophical debates in the light of ideas available in classical Indian philosophy resulting in the emergence of a cosmopolitan philosophy. Attempts have been made to digitize many of the works of these philosophers with the hope that new vistas would be opened up following the line of thinking of this genre of modern Indian philosophers.