Description

What is the goal of the major Indian philosophers and what are the methods of rational inquiry used in their pursuit? Philosophy in Classical India is a much-needed introduction to the philosophical texts, traditions and arguments of Indian philosophy. Philosophical rather than mystical or religious in approach and assuming no prior knowledge of key texts, Jonardon Ganeri examines the following topics:

the motive and method of rational inquiry: the early Nyāya
rationality, emptiness and the objective view: the philosophy of Nāgārjuna's Madhyamaka Buddhism
the rational basis of metaphysics: Vaiśeṣika metaphysics
reduction, exclusion and rational reconstruction: the philosophy of Diṅnāga's Yogācāra Buddhism
rationality, harmony and perspective: Jaina epistemology and metaphysics
reason in equilibrium: Gaṅgeśa's new Nyāya
balance and repost: public reason in Theravāda Buddhism
practical reasoning in Mīmāṃsā and the Dharmaśāstra

This second edition has been substantially updated, with the addition of new chapters on Theravāda and Mīmāṃsā.

All chapters and further reading have been updated to reflect changes in scholarship and the publication of new editions and translations of primary texts, making Philosophy in Classical India an ideal introduction to Indian philosophy from the perspective of analytical philosophy.