Module description
This module (along with 7AAN2035 Indian Philosophy II: The Heterodox Schools) is intended for students who wish to gain an introduction to Indian philosophy that looks carefully at the high standard of logic, epistemology, metaphysics and linguistics that grounded the various philosophical systems. The schools most fully examined are Sankhya, Mimamsa, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, however the positions and arguments of opposing schools, such as Buddhism and Carvaka (Materialists), are regularly adduced to enhance our study. The examination of these schools makes use of translations of the primary texts and focuses upon the vigorous debate over conceptual analysis and argumentative strategies by which the schools presented their philosophical positions, defended them against attacks by other schools, and mounted in turn their own attacks. Studying Indian philosophy in this way demonstrates both the similarities and the philosophically important differences in the way the main issues of philosophy have been addressed in India and in the West.
Educational aims & objectives
The aim is to provide students with an overview of the range of philosophical positions defended by the various schools of Indian philosophy, but to do so in a way that scrutinizes the means by which these positions were explicated and justified. The aim is, therefore, for the students to know, assess and be able to deploy the arguments and counter-arguments by which the various schools of Indian philosophy evolved, and to understand how these issues and techniques relate in illuminating ways to the philosophical activity that has been pursued in the West. By drawing upon the original texts in translation for this examination of doctrine and methodology, we aim for the students to develop their skills in the analysis and evaluation of seminal philosophical works.