Book Title: World of Philosophy
Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan
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"TRUTH IN PHILOSOPHY" (Absolutism versus/and Relativism)
- Dr. Hemant Shah
Introduction :
The title of this essay 'Truth in Philosophy' has been supplied a sub title 'Absolution versus/and Relativism' to clear the fact that the complete discussion is about Absolutism and Relativism as we find in western philosophy and about Non-Dualism(Advait) and Pluralism or Non - Absolutism (Anekant) in Indian Philosophy.It has been taken for granted that the reader is a student or lover of Philosophy, who has a sufficient background of certain approaches and conclusions which are technical or Philosophical. In discussing the issue nothing has been presupposed except the open mindedness of the reader, its object is to survey and understand the issue through the words spoken about by some of the greatest among the intellectual leaders of mankind. In analyzing the issue, I have deliberately avoided certain preliminary discussions on meaning and definitions of Truth.
"Truth'- the most exciting and engaging issue in the whole of Philosophy, is also an age old war of ideas and attitude. Prof. Simon Blackburn expresses "Truth' as 'one of the knottiest Philosophical Issues.' It is also one of the key questions of philosophy which most of the philosophers and theorists, while solving the issue, have further strengthened the knots without dissolving them.
This essay is an attempt to picture the approach and attitudes to understand "Truth', mainly the nature of Truth, in west as well as in East, since the dawn of mankind till Post-Modernism. It is more about the war of ideas between the 'Absolutists' and 'Relativists' in the western philosophy and between the Orthodox schools of Indian philosophy who accept the authority of Vedas and thus talk about Advait Vedanta theory and the Heterodox schools who refute Advait and talk about the pluralistic position of Truth. In fact ,Truth and the conflict about the nature of Truth is not only between two groups of thinkers or two group of schools, but, as Prof. Blackburn writes, "it grumbles within the breast of each individual" as we find a voice within ourselves pulling us to one side or the other. Moreover the conflict is also about our conceptions of ourselves and our world, about meaning of our activities and lives.
There is an attempt to sketch some of the difficulties faced by mankind who wants to understand, apprehend and realize 'Truth' and the significance of the perennial differences, unresolved even till today. Although my main interest, as earlier mentioned, is to note the Absolutists stand as well as the Relativists stand in understanding and interpreting "Truth', I have also
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