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THE PHILOSOPHICAL STUDIES IN INDIA
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philosophy, not to talk of journals devoted to specific areas. The argument could be that there are hardly any writers to justify a larger number of journals. Possibly correct. But could it not be that a fewer people feel inspired to write for want of sufficient scope in terms of the number of journals. This vicious circle, if so it be, must be broken to give new powers to philosophy in this country. Besides, to give opportunity to research scholars to express themselves their is a great need for at least one journal specifically covering their contributions. With more journals coming into being there will be better exchange of ideas and of the research work being done in different departments in the country, thus leading to better co-operation and co-ordination in work.
Philosophy, to be sure, lends itself admirably to inter-disciplinary approach to the problems of knowledge and yet it is a pity that its resources have not been fully exploited. The comparative lack of commerce between philosophy and the other branches of the humanities on the one hand and the natural sciences on the other does not turn out to be either healthy for philosophy or for other branches of knowledge. At any rate, philosophy is likely to be the more creative for drawing on other branches of knowledge and integrating them into a dependable philosphical thinking. It is, to say the least, an intellectual inertia if not intellectual timidity to face, say, psychological and sociological knowledge by declaring such an attempt contemptuously as “psychologism' or 'sociologism'. So long as it is a good philosophy with all the sound logic supporting it, it matters not what it draws on and what it makes out. Surely, when philosophy enters into a fruitful dialogue with other branches of knowledge and turns problem oriented, it improves its chances of being more creative.
In this context I venture to suggest a new experiment. Taking into consideration the comparatively poorer lot of students joining M.A. classes in philosophy and the new demands on philosophy in this age of explosion of knowledge, a special course in philosophy to be introduced, may be, in advanced centres in philosophy or in some other selected departments. This course should be open only to M.A.s and M.Sc.s in the humanities (other than M.A. Philosophy), and social and natural sciences. A class of this complexion will have all the advantages for higher training in philosophy-specialisation in one area, maturity and inter-disciplinary potentialities. The syllabus and the training requirements of the teachers for this course will have to be thought a new. Of course this experiment can be feasible only, if among other things, the financial and academic interests of the students going in for this course are amply taken care of in lieu of the two years' extra time they spend for the course.
The emergence of the three centres for Advanced Study in Philosophy is a happy feature. So far it appears they are only duplicating the work of any other department of philosophy though perhaps on a larger scale. They have to be more innovative in the matter of programming their
