Indian philosophy and the consequences of knowledge : themes in ethics, metaphysics, and soteriology

This book presents a collection of essays, setting out both the special concern of classical Indian thought and some of its potential contributions to global philosophy. It presents some key arguments made by different schools about this special concern: the way in which attainment of knowledge of reality transforms human nature in a fundamentally liberating way. It then goes on to look in detail at two areas in contemporary global philosophy - the ethics of difference, and the metaphysics of consciousness - where this classical Indian commitment to the spiritually transformative power of knowledge can lead to critical insights, even for those who do not share its presuppositions. Close reading of technical Indian texts is combined with wide-ranging and often comparative analysis of philosophical issues, to derive original arguments from the Indian material through an analytic method that is seldom mastered by philosophers of non-western traditions. "This book presents a collection of essays, setting out both the special concern of classical Indian thought and some of its potential contributions to global philosophy. It presents a number of key arguments made by different schools about this special concern: the way in which attainment of knowledge of reality transforms human nature in a fundamentally liberating way. It also looks in detail at two areas in contemporary global philosophy - the ethics of difference, and the metaphysics of consciousness - where this classical Indian commitment to the spiritually transformative power of knowledge can lead to critical insights, even for those who do not share its presuppositions. Close reading of technical Indian texts is combined with wide-ranging and often comparative analysis of philosophical issues to derive original arguments from the Indian material through an analytic method that is seldom mastered by philosophers of non-western traditions."--BOOK JACKET Contents......Page 6 Preface......Page 8 Acknowledgements......Page 10 Introduction......Page 12 1 Multiplist Metaphysics and Ethics......Page 16 2 Consciousness and Luminosity: On How Knowledge is Possible......Page 66 3 Knowledge and Action: On How to Attain the Highest Good......Page 116 4 Liberation without Annihilation: Parthasarathi Miśra on Jnanaśakti......Page 148 5 Conceptuality in Question: Teaching and Pure Cognition in Yogacara-Madhyamaka......Page 162 Bibliography......Page 176 B......Page 184 C......Page 185 H......Page 186 L......Page 187 O......Page 188 S......Page 189 T......Page 190 Y......Page 191 Contents 6 Preface 8 Acknowledgements 10 Introduction 12 1 Multiplist Metaphysics and Ethics 16 2 Consciousness and Luminosity: On How Knowledge is Possible 66 3 Knowledge and Action: On How to Attain the Highest Good 116 4 Liberation without Annihilation: Parthasarathi Miśra on Jnanaśakti 148 5 Conceptuality in Question: Teaching and Pure Cognition in Yogacara-Madhyamaka 162 Bibliography 176 Index 184 A 184 B 184 C 185 D 186 E 186 F 186 G 186 H 186 I 187 J 187 K 187 L 187 M 188 N 188 O 188 P 189 R 189 S 189 T 190 U 191 V 191 W 191 Y 191 A collection of essays, setting out both the special concern of classical Indian thought and some of its potential contributions to global philosophy. This book offers some arguments made by different schools about this special concern: the way in which attainment of knowledge of reality transforms human nature in a fundamentally liberating way.