Book Title: Sambodhi 1989 Vol 16
Author(s): Ramesh S Betai, Yajneshwar S Shastri
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Previous | Next

Page 137
________________ 9 COMPATIBILITY OF RADHAKRISHNAN'S METAPHYSICS WITH HIS EPISTEMOLOGY AND ETHICS -Dr. J. A. Yajnik This paper humbly attempts to do some excercise in creative and constructive thinking directed at resolution of some basic philosophical conflicts within the philosophical system of Radhakrishnan. Resolution of philosophical and cultural conflicts has remained a chief concern of Radhakrishnan's voluminous writings. The paper, therefore, can be treated as a small step in the very direction which has been suggested with missionary. zeal by Radhakrishnan himself. This being so, the author has gret pleasure. in presenting this paper as a tribute to our great philosopher: Radhkrishnan. Radhakrishnan's Epistemological Realism Radhakrishnan's epistemology is essentially realistic. It stands for the view that knowledge to be knowledge must be revelatory of reolity. Radhakrishnan has written in unambiguous terms that "It so far as our minds are not creative of reality but only receptive of it, we must get into cotact with reality, outward by perception, inward by intuition, and by means of intellect interpret and understand it."1 This means that Radhakrishnan's epistemology is very clearly realistic. As Radhakrishnan has advocated epistemological realism, he is certainly not idealist in the sense in which Berkeley and Hegel are idealists. In order to properly understand and evaluate Radhakrishnan's philhsophy, this point needs to be specially emphasised, especially in the light of the fact that Radhakrishnaa has been known and recognized as idealist philosopher. He himself has propounded his philosophical position in his Hibbert. Lectures as "An Idealist View of Life." Explaining the peculier nature of Radhakrishnan's idealism D. M. Datta has observed that, "His idealism, moreover, is not idea-ism but ideal-ism. It is the presentation of an ideal that can harmonize the flesh with the soul, individuals with individuals, nations with nations. Like Eucken he is a philosopher of life." If Radhakrishnan's philosphy is "not idea-ism," it has to be realism. However, even D. M. Datta has not clarified this point.

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309