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CLASSICAL INDIAN PHILOSOPHY
FALL 2019
Meets Mondays from 11am-1pm in 65/1175
and Thursdays from 1-2pm in 7/3027
(Co-taught with Professor Christopher Janaway)
OVERVIEW
Philosophy flourished in classical India for well over a millennium, with figures in this tradition
producing works that are on a par with those of figures in ancient Greece and late antique and
medieval Europe. In fact, figures in classical India contributed extensively to what what we now
recognize as core areas of philosophy such as epistemology, logic, philosophy of mind, metaphysics,
and ethics. This module provides an overview of this long-neglected tradition of philosophy.
We will cover the early texts of the Brahmanical and Śramaṇa traditions (e.g. the
Upaniṣads and Pali Canon of Buddhism), and then writings in the age of sūtras
and commentaries (e.g. those of Brahmanical schools such as Nyāya and Pūrva-Mīmāṃsā,
and Śramaṇa schools such as Buddhism). The module’s approach will not be purely historical,
but will critically examine the contributions these texts make to philosophical debates that are alive today.
SCHEDULE OF READINGS
For each week, the readings mainly divide into required
and optional further readings. We include the optional readings
just in case you find the topic especially interesting
and would like to write a paper on it or simply learn more.
A comprehensive list of further readings can be found here. We strongly
recommend that you choose a few of the general introductory readings on
the first two pages of that document for some supplementary background.
The first lecture will provide a general overview before jumping into
the first topic, but it would be good to supplement this with further reading.
Students who are registered for the module can
find links to all required readings through Blackboard.
Part 1. Self and No-Self
Week 1: The Upaniṣads and Early Advaita Vedānta
Required reading
Extracts from the Upaniṣads
Extracts from Classical Indian Philosophy:
A Reader and The Essential Vedānta
Optional further reading
Barua, Ankur. ‘Indian Philosophy and the Question of the Self.’
Ganeri, Jonardon. The Concealed Art of the Soul
Mathur, D.C. ‘The Concept of Self in the Upanishads: An Alternative Interpretation.’
Perrett, Roy. An Introduction to Indian Philosophy, ch. 6
Siderits, Mark, Evan Thompson, and Dan Zahavi. Self, No Self? Perspectives
from Analytical, Phenomenological, and Indian Traditions
Week 2: Buddhism: The Four Noble Truths and No-Self in Early Buddhism
Required reading
Extracts from Sayings of the Buddha
‘Theravāda Philosophy of Mind and the Person’
in Buddhist Philosophy Essential Readings
Optional further reading
Davies, Jake H. A Mirror is for Reflection: Understanding Buddhist Ethics
Emmanuel, Steven M. A Companion to Buddhist Philosophy
Garfield Jay L. Engaging Buddhism
Goodman, Charles. Consequences of Compassion: An Interpretation and Defense of Buddhist Ethics
Harvey, Peter. An Introduction to Buddhist Ethics
Keown, Damien. Buddhist Ethics: A Very Short Introduction
Siderits, Mark. Buddhism as Philosophy
Week 3: Sāṃkhya and Nyāya on Self
Required reading
Sāṃkhya extract from Classical Indian Philosophy: A Reader
'A Nyāya Interlude’ in Buddhism as Philosophy
Optional further reading
Dasgupta, Surendranath. A History of Indian Philosophy,
volume 1, chapter 7 and section 1 of chapter 8
Dasti, Mattew and Phillips, Stephen. (transl.) The Nyāya-Sutra, chapter 4
Gupta, Bina. Chapters on Sāṃkhya and Nyāya in An Introduction to Indian Philosophy
Matilal, B. K. 'Nyāya Critique of the Buddhist Doctrine of Non-Soul'
Perrett, Roy. Chapter 6 in An Introduction to Indian Philosophy
Week 4: Buddhist Reductionism
Required reading
Buddhist Philosophy: Essential Readings, Chs. 24, 25, 26
Optional further reading
Parfit, Derek. 'Buddha's View'
Parfit, Derek. Reasons and Persons, Part III
Sideritis, Mark. 'Buddhist Reductionism'
Sideritis, Mark. 'Buddhist Reductionism and the Structure of Buddhist Ethics'
Sideritis, Mark. Empty Persons
Week 5: Emptiness and Ethics
Required reading
Buddhist Philosophy: Essential Readings, Chs. 2 and 32
Optional further reading
Berger, Douglas. 'Nāgārjuna' (https://www.iep.utm.edu/nagarjun/)
Garfield, Jay (trans.). Nāgārjuna's Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way
Tillemans, Tom. 'Philosophical Quietism in Nāgārjuna and Early Madhyamaka'
Westerhoff, Jan. 'Nāgārjuna' (https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nagarjuna/)
Westerhoff, Jan. 'Nāgārjuna on Emptiness'
Part 2. Epistemology and Metaphysics in the Age of Sūtras and Commentaries
Week 6: Nyāya Epistemology and Metaphysics
Required reading
Dasti, Matthew and Phillips, Stephen (trans.) The Nyāya Sūtra, pp.1-27
Phillips, Stephen. Section 1 of 'Epistemology in Classical India'
(https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/epistemology-india/)
Optional further reading
Chatterjee, S. C. Nyāya Theory of Knowledge. Available on archive.org: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.201767
Dasti, M. and Phillips, S. (trans.) The Nyāya Sūtra, full text
Dasti, M. 'Vātsyānaya Cognition as a Guide to Action'
Matilal, Bimal Krishna. Collected Essays: Volume 1, chapters 6, 7, 9-12
Matilal, Bimal Krishna. Perception
Week 7: More Nyāya Epistemology and Metaphysics
Required reading
Dasti, Matthew and Phillips, Stephen (trans.) The Nyāya Sūtra, pp.28-36, 40-57
Phillips, Stephen. Epistemology in Classical India, Appendix
Optional further reading
Phillips, Stephen. Epistemology in Classical India, full text
Phillips, Stephen. Classical Indian Metaphysics
Phillips, S. (trans.) Gaṅgeśa’s Tattvacintāmani
Phillips, Stephen. 'A Defeasibility Theory of Knowledge in Gaṅgeśa'
Week 8: Mīmāṃsā and Vedānta Epistemology
Required reading
Mīmāṃsā Sūtras with Śabara’s commentary, selections
Kumārila’s Ślokavārttika, selections
Vedānta Sūtras with Śankara’s commentary, selections
Optional further reading on Mīmāṃsā epistemology
Arnold, Dan. Buddhists, Brahmins and Belief, chapters 3 and 4
Arnold, Dan. 'Kumārila.' SEP: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kumaarila/
Bhatt, Govardhan. The Basic Ways of Knowing
Basu, B. D. (ed.) Mīmāṁsā Sūtras of Jaimini. Available on archive.org: https://archive.org/details/0b.BasuJaiminiMimamsasutratextTrad/
Jha, Ganganatha (trans.) Śabara-Bhāṣya. Available on archive.org: https://archive.org/details/ShabaraBhasyaTrByGanganathJha
Jha, Ganganatha (trans.) Ślokavarttika of Kumārila. Available on archive.org: https://archive.org/details/SlokavartikaOfKumarilaBhattaEnglishTranslationGanganathaJha1907bis_201804/
Taber, John. A Hindu Critique of Buddhist Epistemology
Optional further reading on Vedānta epistemology
Datta, Dhirendra Mohan. The Six Ways of Knowing. Available on archive.org: https://archive.org/details/TheSixWaysOfKnowing1960D.M.Datta
Gupta, Bina. Perceiving in Advaita Vedānta
Thibaut, George (trans.) The Vedānta Sūtras with the Commentary of Śankara. Available on archive.org: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.38257/
Week 9: Buddhist Epistemology
Required reading
Nāgārjuna’s Dispeller of Disputes, selections
Dharmakirti’s Nyāya-Bindu, selections
Optional further reading
Arnold, Dan. Buddhists, Brahmins and Belief, chapters 1, 2, 5, 6, 7.
Chadha, Monima. 'Reflexive Awareness and No-Self: Dignāga Debated by Kumārila and Dharmakīrti'
Coseru, Christian. Perceiving Reality
Duckworth et al. (eds.) Dignāga’s Investigation of the Percept
Kellner, Birgit. 'Proving Idealism in Dharmakīrti'
Stcherbatsky, T. Buddhist Logic, Volumes 1 and 2
Tillemans, Tom. 'Dharmakīrti' in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/dharmakiirti/
Week 10: Wider Issues in Classical Indian Epistemology and Metaphysics
Required reading
Śrīharṣa's The Sweets of Refutation, selections
Perrett, Roy. Chapter 5 of An Introduction to Classical Indian Philosophy
Optional further reading
Bilimoria, Purusottama. 'Jñāna and Pramā: The Logic of Knowing'
Das, Nilanjan. 'Śrīharṣa.' SEP: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/sriharsa/
Ganeri, Jonardon. 'Analytic Philosophy in Early Modern India', sections 1-2, 5-10 SEP: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/early-modern-india/
Potter, K. H. 'Does Indian Epistemology Concern Justified True Belief?'
Phillips, Stephen. Classical Indian Metaphysics
Stoltz, Jonathan. 'Gettier and Factivity in Indo-Tibetan Epistemology'
FALL 2019
Meets Mondays from 11am-1pm in 65/1175
and Thursdays from 1-2pm in 7/3027
(Co-taught with Professor Christopher Janaway)
OVERVIEW
Philosophy flourished in classical India for well over a millennium, with figures in this tradition
producing works that are on a par with those of figures in ancient Greece and late antique and
medieval Europe. In fact, figures in classical India contributed extensively to what what we now
recognize as core areas of philosophy such as epistemology, logic, philosophy of mind, metaphysics,
and ethics. This module provides an overview of this long-neglected tradition of philosophy.
We will cover the early texts of the Brahmanical and Śramaṇa traditions (e.g. the
Upaniṣads and Pali Canon of Buddhism), and then writings in the age of sūtras
and commentaries (e.g. those of Brahmanical schools such as Nyāya and Pūrva-Mīmāṃsā,
and Śramaṇa schools such as Buddhism). The module’s approach will not be purely historical,
but will critically examine the contributions these texts make to philosophical debates that are alive today.
SCHEDULE OF READINGS
For each week, the readings mainly divide into required
and optional further readings. We include the optional readings
just in case you find the topic especially interesting
and would like to write a paper on it or simply learn more.
A comprehensive list of further readings can be found here. We strongly
recommend that you choose a few of the general introductory readings on
the first two pages of that document for some supplementary background.
The first lecture will provide a general overview before jumping into
the first topic, but it would be good to supplement this with further reading.
Students who are registered for the module can
find links to all required readings through Blackboard.
Part 1. Self and No-Self
Week 1: The Upaniṣads and Early Advaita Vedānta
Required reading
Extracts from the Upaniṣads
Extracts from Classical Indian Philosophy:
A Reader and The Essential Vedānta
Optional further reading
Barua, Ankur. ‘Indian Philosophy and the Question of the Self.’
Ganeri, Jonardon. The Concealed Art of the Soul
Mathur, D.C. ‘The Concept of Self in the Upanishads: An Alternative Interpretation.’
Perrett, Roy. An Introduction to Indian Philosophy, ch. 6
Siderits, Mark, Evan Thompson, and Dan Zahavi. Self, No Self? Perspectives
from Analytical, Phenomenological, and Indian Traditions
Week 2: Buddhism: The Four Noble Truths and No-Self in Early Buddhism
Required reading
Extracts from Sayings of the Buddha
‘Theravāda Philosophy of Mind and the Person’
in Buddhist Philosophy Essential Readings
Optional further reading
Davies, Jake H. A Mirror is for Reflection: Understanding Buddhist Ethics
Emmanuel, Steven M. A Companion to Buddhist Philosophy
Garfield Jay L. Engaging Buddhism
Goodman, Charles. Consequences of Compassion: An Interpretation and Defense of Buddhist Ethics
Harvey, Peter. An Introduction to Buddhist Ethics
Keown, Damien. Buddhist Ethics: A Very Short Introduction
Siderits, Mark. Buddhism as Philosophy
Week 3: Sāṃkhya and Nyāya on Self
Required reading
Sāṃkhya extract from Classical Indian Philosophy: A Reader
'A Nyāya Interlude’ in Buddhism as Philosophy
Optional further reading
Dasgupta, Surendranath. A History of Indian Philosophy,
volume 1, chapter 7 and section 1 of chapter 8
Dasti, Mattew and Phillips, Stephen. (transl.) The Nyāya-Sutra, chapter 4
Gupta, Bina. Chapters on Sāṃkhya and Nyāya in An Introduction to Indian Philosophy
Matilal, B. K. 'Nyāya Critique of the Buddhist Doctrine of Non-Soul'
Perrett, Roy. Chapter 6 in An Introduction to Indian Philosophy
Week 4: Buddhist Reductionism
Required reading
Buddhist Philosophy: Essential Readings, Chs. 24, 25, 26
Optional further reading
Parfit, Derek. 'Buddha's View'
Parfit, Derek. Reasons and Persons, Part III
Sideritis, Mark. 'Buddhist Reductionism'
Sideritis, Mark. 'Buddhist Reductionism and the Structure of Buddhist Ethics'
Sideritis, Mark. Empty Persons
Week 5: Emptiness and Ethics
Required reading
Buddhist Philosophy: Essential Readings, Chs. 2 and 32
Optional further reading
Berger, Douglas. 'Nāgārjuna' (https://www.iep.utm.edu/nagarjun/)
Garfield, Jay (trans.). Nāgārjuna's Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way
Tillemans, Tom. 'Philosophical Quietism in Nāgārjuna and Early Madhyamaka'
Westerhoff, Jan. 'Nāgārjuna' (https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nagarjuna/)
Westerhoff, Jan. 'Nāgārjuna on Emptiness'
Part 2. Epistemology and Metaphysics in the Age of Sūtras and Commentaries
Week 6: Nyāya Epistemology and Metaphysics
Required reading
Dasti, Matthew and Phillips, Stephen (trans.) The Nyāya Sūtra, pp.1-27
Phillips, Stephen. Section 1 of 'Epistemology in Classical India'
(https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/epistemology-india/)
Optional further reading
Chatterjee, S. C. Nyāya Theory of Knowledge. Available on archive.org: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.201767
Dasti, M. and Phillips, S. (trans.) The Nyāya Sūtra, full text
Dasti, M. 'Vātsyānaya Cognition as a Guide to Action'
Matilal, Bimal Krishna. Collected Essays: Volume 1, chapters 6, 7, 9-12
Matilal, Bimal Krishna. Perception
Week 7: More Nyāya Epistemology and Metaphysics
Required reading
Dasti, Matthew and Phillips, Stephen (trans.) The Nyāya Sūtra, pp.28-36, 40-57
Phillips, Stephen. Epistemology in Classical India, Appendix
Optional further reading
Phillips, Stephen. Epistemology in Classical India, full text
Phillips, Stephen. Classical Indian Metaphysics
Phillips, S. (trans.) Gaṅgeśa’s Tattvacintāmani
Phillips, Stephen. 'A Defeasibility Theory of Knowledge in Gaṅgeśa'
Week 8: Mīmāṃsā and Vedānta Epistemology
Required reading
Mīmāṃsā Sūtras with Śabara’s commentary, selections
Kumārila’s Ślokavārttika, selections
Vedānta Sūtras with Śankara’s commentary, selections
Optional further reading on Mīmāṃsā epistemology
Arnold, Dan. Buddhists, Brahmins and Belief, chapters 3 and 4
Arnold, Dan. 'Kumārila.' SEP: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kumaarila/
Bhatt, Govardhan. The Basic Ways of Knowing
Basu, B. D. (ed.) Mīmāṁsā Sūtras of Jaimini. Available on archive.org: https://archive.org/details/0b.BasuJaiminiMimamsasutratextTrad/
Jha, Ganganatha (trans.) Śabara-Bhāṣya. Available on archive.org: https://archive.org/details/ShabaraBhasyaTrByGanganathJha
Jha, Ganganatha (trans.) Ślokavarttika of Kumārila. Available on archive.org: https://archive.org/details/SlokavartikaOfKumarilaBhattaEnglishTranslationGanganathaJha1907bis_201804/
Taber, John. A Hindu Critique of Buddhist Epistemology
Optional further reading on Vedānta epistemology
Datta, Dhirendra Mohan. The Six Ways of Knowing. Available on archive.org: https://archive.org/details/TheSixWaysOfKnowing1960D.M.Datta
Gupta, Bina. Perceiving in Advaita Vedānta
Thibaut, George (trans.) The Vedānta Sūtras with the Commentary of Śankara. Available on archive.org: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.38257/
Week 9: Buddhist Epistemology
Required reading
Nāgārjuna’s Dispeller of Disputes, selections
Dharmakirti’s Nyāya-Bindu, selections
Optional further reading
Arnold, Dan. Buddhists, Brahmins and Belief, chapters 1, 2, 5, 6, 7.
Chadha, Monima. 'Reflexive Awareness and No-Self: Dignāga Debated by Kumārila and Dharmakīrti'
Coseru, Christian. Perceiving Reality
Duckworth et al. (eds.) Dignāga’s Investigation of the Percept
Kellner, Birgit. 'Proving Idealism in Dharmakīrti'
Stcherbatsky, T. Buddhist Logic, Volumes 1 and 2
Tillemans, Tom. 'Dharmakīrti' in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/dharmakiirti/
Week 10: Wider Issues in Classical Indian Epistemology and Metaphysics
Required reading
Śrīharṣa's The Sweets of Refutation, selections
Perrett, Roy. Chapter 5 of An Introduction to Classical Indian Philosophy
Optional further reading
Bilimoria, Purusottama. 'Jñāna and Pramā: The Logic of Knowing'
Das, Nilanjan. 'Śrīharṣa.' SEP: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/sriharsa/
Ganeri, Jonardon. 'Analytic Philosophy in Early Modern India', sections 1-2, 5-10 SEP: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/early-modern-india/
Potter, K. H. 'Does Indian Epistemology Concern Justified True Belief?'
Phillips, Stephen. Classical Indian Metaphysics
Stoltz, Jonathan. 'Gettier and Factivity in Indo-Tibetan Epistemology'
