Nature in Indian Philosophy and Cultural Traditions

Nature in Indian Philosophy and Cultural Traditions PDF Author: Meera Baindur
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 8132223586
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 229

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Book Description
Working within a framework of environmental philosophy and environmental ethics, this book describes and postulates alternative understandings of nature in Indian traditions of thought, particularly philosophy. The interest in alternative conceptualizations of nature has gained significance after many thinkers pointed out that attitudes to the environment are determined to a large extent by our presuppositions of nature. This book is particularly timely from that perspective. It begins with a brief description of the concept of nature and a history of the idea of nature in Western thought. This provides readers with a context to the issues around the concept of nature in environmental philosophy, setting a foundation for further discussion about alternate conceptualizations of nature and their significance. In particular, the work covers a wide array of textual and non-textual sources to link and understand nature from classical Indian philosophical perspectives as well as popular understandings in Indian literary texts and cultural practices. Popular issues in environmental philosophy are discussed in detail, such as: What is ‘nature’ in Indian philosophy? How do people perceive nature through landscape and mythological and cultural narratives? In what ways is nature sacred in India? To make the discussion relevant to contemporary readers, the book includes a section on the ecological and ethical implications of some philosophical concepts and critical perspectives on alternate conceptualizations of nature.

Nature in Indian Philosophy and Cultural Traditions

Nature in Indian Philosophy and Cultural Traditions PDF Author: Meera Baindur
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 8132223586
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 229

Get Book Here

Book Description
Working within a framework of environmental philosophy and environmental ethics, this book describes and postulates alternative understandings of nature in Indian traditions of thought, particularly philosophy. The interest in alternative conceptualizations of nature has gained significance after many thinkers pointed out that attitudes to the environment are determined to a large extent by our presuppositions of nature. This book is particularly timely from that perspective. It begins with a brief description of the concept of nature and a history of the idea of nature in Western thought. This provides readers with a context to the issues around the concept of nature in environmental philosophy, setting a foundation for further discussion about alternate conceptualizations of nature and their significance. In particular, the work covers a wide array of textual and non-textual sources to link and understand nature from classical Indian philosophical perspectives as well as popular understandings in Indian literary texts and cultural practices. Popular issues in environmental philosophy are discussed in detail, such as: What is ‘nature’ in Indian philosophy? How do people perceive nature through landscape and mythological and cultural narratives? In what ways is nature sacred in India? To make the discussion relevant to contemporary readers, the book includes a section on the ecological and ethical implications of some philosophical concepts and critical perspectives on alternate conceptualizations of nature.

A Companion to World Philosophies

A Companion to World Philosophies PDF Author: Eliot Deutsch
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
ISBN: 9780631213277
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 608

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Book Description
This outstanding volume offers students, teachers and general readers a complete introductory survey of the major non-western philosophical traditions.

Indian Philosophy

Indian Philosophy PDF Author: Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 9780195698411
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 650

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Book Description
"Tracing the development of Indian philosophy as a single tradition of thought, these two volumes provide a classical exposition of Indian thought. The author showcases ancient philosophical texts and relates them to contemporary issues of philosophy and religion. He presents the essential meaning and significance of individual texts and philosophies and also draws parallels between Indian and western philosophical traditions. The first volume covers the Vedic and Epic periods, including expositions on the hymns of the Rig-Veda, the Upanishads, Jainism, Buddhism, and the theism of the Bhagvadgita. The second investigates the six Brahmanical philosophical systems, the theism of Ramanuja, Saiva ethics, metaphysicas and literature, and the theism of the later Vaishnavas." "This second edition, with a new Introduction by eminent philosopher, J.N. Mohanty, underlines the continuing relevance of the two volumes and the philosophic tradition they represent. Lucidly written, these books will form essential reading for students, teachers, scholars of Indian philosophy as well as general reader interested in the development and growth of Indian thought."--Jacket.

Nature Across Cultures

Nature Across Cultures PDF Author: Helaine Selin
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9401701490
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 492

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Book Description
Nature Across Cultures: Views of Nature and the Environment in Non-Western Cultures consists of about 25 essays dealing with the environmental knowledge and beliefs of cultures outside of the United States and Europe. In addition to articles surveying Islamic, Chinese, Native American, Aboriginal Australian, Indian, Thai, and Andean views of nature and the environment, among others, the book includes essays on Environmentalism and Images of the Other, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Worldviews and Ecology, Rethinking the Western/non-Western Divide, and Landscape, Nature, and Culture. The essays address the connections between nature and culture and relate the environmental practices to the cultures which produced them. Each essay contains an extensive bibliography. Because the geographic range is global, the book fills a gap in both environmental history and in cultural studies. It should find a place on the bookshelves of advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and scholars, as well as in libraries serving those groups.

The Indian Mind

The Indian Mind PDF Author: Charles Alexander Moore
Publisher: Honolulu : East-West Center Press
ISBN:
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 488

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Book Description


Modernity in Indian Social Theory

Modernity in Indian Social Theory PDF Author: A. Raghuramaraju
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199088365
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 221

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Book Description
Unlike the West, India presents a fascinating example of a society where the pre-modern continues to co-exist with the modern. Modernity in Indian Social Theory explores the social variance between India and the West to show how it impacted their respective trajectories of modernity. A. Raghuramaraju argues that modernity in the West involved disinheriting the pre-modern, and temporal ordering of the traditional and modern. It was ruthlessly implemented through programmes of industrialization, nationalism, and secularism. This book underscores that India did not merely the Western model of modernity or experience a temporal ordering of society. It situates this sociological complexity in the context of the debates on social theory. The author critically examines various discourses on modernity in India, including Partha Chatterjee’s account of Indian nationalism; Javeed Alam’s reading of Indian secularism; the use of the term pluralism by some Indian social scientists; and Gopal Guru’s emphasis on the lived Dalit experience. He also engages with the readings on key thinkers including Vivekananda, Aurobindo, Gandhi, and Ambedkar.

Cultural and Spiritual Significance of Nature in Protected Areas

Cultural and Spiritual Significance of Nature in Protected Areas PDF Author: Bas Verschuuren
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351609319
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 409

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Book Description
Cultural and spiritual bonds with ‘nature’ are among the strongest motivators for nature conservation; yet they are seldom taken into account in the governance and management of protected and conserved areas. The starting point of this book is that to be sustainable, effective, and equitable, approaches to the management and governance of these areas need to engage with people’s deeply held cultural, spiritual, personal, and community values, alongside inspiring action to conserve biological, geological, and cultural diversity. Since protected area management and governance have traditionally been based on scientific research, a combination of science and spirituality can engage and empower a variety of stakeholders from different cultural and religious backgrounds. As evidenced in this volume, stakeholders range from indigenous peoples and local communities to those following mainstream religions and those representing the wider public. The authors argue that the scope of protected area management and governance needs to be extended to acknowledge the rights, responsibilities, obligations, and aspirations of stakeholder groups and to recognise the cultural and spiritual significance that ‘nature’ holds for people. The book also has direct practical applications. These follow the IUCN Best Practice Guidelines for protected and conserved area managers and present a wide range of case studies from around the world, including Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Americas.

Can Different Cultures Think the Same Thoughts?

Can Different Cultures Think the Same Thoughts? PDF Author: Kenneth Dorter
Publisher: University of Notre Dame Pess
ISBN: 0268103569
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 343

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Book Description
Kenneth Dorter’s Can Different Cultures Think the Same Thoughts? is a study of fundamental issues in metaphysics and ethics across major philosophical traditions of the world, including the way in which metaphysics can be a foundation for ethics, as well as the importance of metaphysics on its own terms. Dorter examines such questions through a detailed comparison of selected major thinkers and classic works in three global philosophical traditions, those of India, China, and the West. In each chapter Dorter juxtaposes and compares two or more philosophers or classic works from different traditions, from Spinoza and Shankara, to Confucius and Plato, to Marcus Aurelius and the Bhagavad Gita. In doing so he explores different perspectives and reveals limitations and assumptions that might otherwise be obscure. The goal of Dorter’s cross-cultural approach is to consider how far works from different cultures can be understood as holding comparable philosophical views. Although Dorter reveals commonalities across the different traditions, he makes no claim that there is such a thing as a universal philosophy. Clearly there are fundamental disagreements among the philosophers and works studied. Yet in each of the case studies of a particular chapter, we can discover a shared, or at least analogous, way of looking at issues across different cultures. All those interested in metaphysics, ethics, Indian philosophy, Chinese philosophy, and comparative philosophy will find much of interest in this book.

Hinduism and Ecology

Hinduism and Ecology PDF Author: Christopher Key Chapple
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 752

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Book Description
"In this volume, scholars of Hinduism, Hindu practitioners, and environmental activists discuss the past history and future prospects for the development of environmentally responsive forms of Hinduism. Topics include the Vedic viewpoint on nature, the potential contribution of Gandhian thought, forest ecology in India, the degradation and damming of river systems, and Hindu grassroots approaches to environmental restoration."--BOOK JACKET.

Classical Indian Philosophy

Classical Indian Philosophy PDF Author: Peter Adamson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192592661
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 422

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Book Description
Peter Adamson and Jonardon Ganeri present a lively introduction to one of the world's richest intellectual traditions: the philosophy of classical India. They begin with the earliest extant literature, the Vedas, and the explanatory works that these inspired, known as Upaniṣads. They also discuss other famous texts of classical Vedic culture, especially the Mahābhārata and its most notable section, the Bhagavad-Gīta, alongside the rise of Buddhism and Jainism. In this opening section, Adamson and Ganeri emphasize the way that philosophy was practiced as a form of life in search of liberation from suffering. Next, the pair move on to the explosion of philosophical speculation devoted to foundational texts called 'sutras,' discussing such traditions as the logical and epistemological Nyāya school, the monism of Advaita Vedānta, and the spiritual discipline of Yoga. In the final section of the book, they chart further developments within Buddhism, highlighting Nagārjuna's radical critique of 'non-dependent' concepts and the no-self philosophy of mind found in authors like Dignāga, and within Jainism, focusing especially on its 'standpoint' epistemology. Unlike other introductions that cover the main schools and positions in classical Indian philosophy, Adamson and Ganeri's lively guide also pays attention to philosophical themes such as non-violence, political authority, and the status of women, while considering textual traditions typically left out of overviews of Indian thought, like the Cārvaka school, Tantra, and aesthetic theory as well. Adamson and Ganeri conclude by focusing on the much-debated question of whether Indian philosophy may have influenced ancient Greek philosophy and, from there, evaluate the impact that this area of philosophy had on later Western thought.