World of Philosophy

SR No.: 007005
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan
Publication Year: 2011
Total Pages: 1002
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 30 MB

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Relativist sees only fetishes. The absolutist takes himself to speak to the ages, with the tongue of angels, but the relativists hears only one version among others, the subjectivity of the here and now. The Absolutist takes himself to read nature in her own language, but the relativist insists that nature does not speak, and we hear only what we have elected to hear. The Absolutist lays down the low, but the Relativist hears only roaring and bawling." "This war still goes on and when the war of words can often turn into a dialogue of the deaf, and this too is a part of its power to arouse outrage and fury. PART II
TRUTH IN INDIAN PHILOSOPHY
INTRODUCTION: I would like to open my introduction to Indian philosophy by Prof. Chatterjee and Prof.Datta from their book. The author says, "Though the problems (issues) of philosophy have been the same in East as well as in West and the chief solutions have striking similarities, yet the methods of philosophical enquiry differ in certain respects and the processes of the development of philosophical thought also vary." Unlike western philosophy Indian philosophy discusses different problems of metaphysics, ethics, logic, epistemology etc.not separately but jointly. This is what we call a synthetic outlook of Indian philosophy. In Indian philosophy the term, very commonly used by all, is not the 'knowledge of Truth', as we have in western philosophy; but it is termed as 'the vision of Truth' (darsana).Every school of Indian philosophy, in its own way, accepts that there can be a direct realisation of Truth and one who has a direct realization is free from the world. Besides, the Indian philosophy being not separate from religion and springs from spiritual disquiet, 'Truth' and the realisation of Truth is significantly important.
History of philosophy, in one sense, is nothing but an account of man's incessant efforts to realize Truth. Realisation of Truth or the experience of Truth is not that easy. It requires tremendous efforts and an uncomprising sincerity which a very few have. Besides, there is nothing like "readymade'Truth.Truth is to be found, to be experienced and ultimately to be realised. It is not a subject of knowledge or information. It is a spirit of realisation, an issue highly personal, inner experience. There is no science, no religion or no philosophy higher than Truth; they, infact, are all in search of Truth. Absolute Truth is the highest, the greatest and the perfect, and so it is equivalent to God or Logos. The unresolved issue in Indian philosophy is the nature of Truth: whether Truth is one or many? Whether Truth is Absolute or relative? But then the issue as handled in Indian philosophy is in a different way. There is a discussion on both the sides, not as opposites to each other but as complementary to each other. Let us fully acquaint ourselves with the concept of Truth in Indian philosophy through a brief sketch as seen in Vedanta philosophy, in Jain philosophy and in Gandhian philosophy.
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