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Introduction
he discusses various issues such as Scepticism, Empiricism, Sensationalism, Phenomenalism, Positivism, Rationalism, Pragmatism etc., which lay down different theories of the origin of knowledge and advocate different approaches to reality and lead us to the right source of all knowledge, the self which being known everything else becomes known. Dr. Patel, then tries to find out the metaphysical justification of Śrīmad's doctrine - "he who knows the self, knows all", by discussing the nature of self or soul according to Idealism in modern western philosophy as well as in the light of Sankara's doctrine of degrees or grades of reality such as pāramārthika, vyāvahārika and pratibhāsika. Dr. Patel has also taken into consideration the modern philosophers' and scientists' theories of evolution in this context. He ultimately shows how Śrīmad's definition of being or reality according to Jainism as utpāda-vyaya-dhrauvya-yuktami sat (i.e.being or sat has in it origination, destruction and permanence.) is wider and accommodates both the theories of reality stated above. Similarly, Dr. Patel gives logical justification of Śrīmad's doctrine and observes that selfrealisation ought to be considered to be of supreme value. From the evolutionistic point of view also he shows that the self is the supreme reality, because in the self-realization the process of self-evolution reaches
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