Applied Philosophy of Anekanta

Author(s): Shashiprajna Samni
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati Institute

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forced to accept the contribution of India. Globalization, information technology and the Internet, the rise of postcolonialism and multiculturalism, the borderless world, and such other factors have changed our perceptions. The world is no longer Euro-centric or Westo-centric. There are attempts to globalize all knowledge systems and build a world bank or a common wealth of knowledges. The universality of human experience can be captured only in ‘world knowledges'. The time has come to globalize all knowledge systems and shed the epistemic dependency of the rest on the West. The focus in many fields is already shifting from the West to the rest. The world is in for convergence rather than divergence, not just based on Westernization but also on Easternization, based on the blending of both. The twain shall meet by virtue of each moving in the direction of the other and may contribute to a fi:sion, containing the best of both. But now, as in many fields, like economy, computer technology, medicine, yoga, etc., the West is more than willing to accept the contribution of India in other fields too. Similarly, in the field of language philosophy too, Indians must tell the world that India's knowledge can engage the best in the West. This must be done in English because English is the world's 'window on India'. The world must know that India is the land of great philosophers like Mahavira, Buddha, Sankara and others and language philosophers like Pāṇini, Bhartphari, Nāgārjuna, and many more. This project involves an in-depth understanding of one's own culture, heritage, philosophies, languages and literatures, language philosophies, values and knowledge systems and 'translating India' into English. These systems should be compared with the Western systems so that the world understands the depth of India's language philosophy, whereas Derrida stops with languageism' and thinks that there is nothing beyond language, India's language philosophers have pointed out that through yoga and meditation, it is possible to
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