Gandhi and Philosophy: On Theological Anti-politics is a book written by philosophers Shaj Mohan and Divya Dwivedi. It was published by Bloomsbury Academic, UK. The book is based on analysis of Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy and has received a positive reception.
Gandhi and Philosophy examines different aspects of Mahatma Gandhi's thought from a new philosophical system. [1] Jean-Luc Nancy wrote the foreword to the book and said that it gives a new orientation to philosophy which is neither metaphysics nor hypophysics. [2]
The book proposes that in addition to the metaphysical tendency in philosophy there is a 'hypophysical tendency'; hypophysics is defined as "a conception of nature as value". As per hypophysics the distance from nature that human beings and natural objects come to have through the effects of technology lessens their value, or brings them closer to evil. [3] Gandhi's concept of passive force or nonviolence is an implication of his hypophysical commitment to nature. [4]
The book also identifies racism with caste practices and ascribes a form of racism to Gandhi. [5] [6] In a review of the book in The Indian Express , Aakash Joshi says of the authors, "Perhaps it is because they are not tied to Gandhi's political project - secularism of a particular kind, freedom from colonial concepts, caste without violence - that they are capable of addressing the more uncomfortable aspects of his life and politics." [6]
Bernard Stiegler admired the work, in that it reconsidered the history of nihilism in the eschatological contemporaneity and criticalised Gandhi's thoughts from a new perspective. [7] [8] Robert Bernasconi admired the profound impact of the work, in that it warranted a re-examination of Gandhiji's thought-school and also served as a reflection on the usual Western interpretations of India. [8] [9] Jean-Luc Nancy wrote the foreword and admired the work, as well. [8]
In Open, Siddharth Singh praised the pioneer attempt at a re-interpretation of Gandhi's thought-school using philosophical models, without being overtly dependent on ex-post-facto political developments. [10] Another review by Aakash Joshi admired the work as well, in that it distanced itself from political correctness and tackled a lot of usually whitewashed controversies in Gandhi's life using novel philosophical concepts, without necessarily delving into a black-and-white territory. [11]
A review by The Book Review noted the work to be a closely argued and seminal volume, which utilized novel philosophical concepts in dissecting and analyzing Gandhi; the development of scalology and hypophysics were praised, in particular. [12] In a review for The Wire, J. Reghu praised the work as a highly original contribution, which ushered in a remarkable moment for classical philosophy in the subcontinent. [13] [14] [15] Cynthia Chandran, writing for the Deccan Chronicle noted that the "book reveals a materialist, internationalist Gandhiji who develops the ultimate revolutionary political program". [16]
In a review for The Hindu , Tridip Suhrud describes the book as "subversive but deeply affectionate" and writes that the authors, "through their doubt affirm Gandhi as a serious philosopher for our times and beyond." [17] In a review for The Indian Express , Raj Ayyar stated, "Mohan and Dwivedi have done a masterful job of avoiding the binary fork — hagiography or vituperation — as much of Gandhi and hagiography comes from a need to spiritualise Gandhi". [18]
Harilal Mohandas Gandhi was the eldest son of Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi. He had three younger brothers: Manilal Gandhi, Ramdas Gandhi and Devdas Gandhi.
Sabarmati Ashram is located in the Sabarmati suburb of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, adjoining the Ashram Road, on the banks of the River Sabarmati, 4 miles (6.4 km) from the town hall. This was one of the many residences of Mahatma Gandhi who lived at Sabarmati (Gujarat) and Sevagram when he was not travelling across India or in prison. He lived in Sabarmati or Wardha for a total of twelve years with his wife Kasturba Gandhi and followers, including Vinoba Bhave. The Bhagavad Gita was recited here daily as part of the Ashram schedule.
'Bold text''''Bold textItalic text'''
Bernard Stiegler was a French philosopher. He was head of the Institut de recherche et d'innovation (IRI), which he founded in 2006 at the Centre Georges-Pompidou. He was also the founder in 2005 of the political and cultural group, Ars Industrialis; the founder in 2010 of the philosophy school, pharmakon.fr, held at Épineuil-le-Fleuriel; and a co-founder in 2018 of Collectif Internation, a group of "politicised researchers" His best known work is Technics and Time, 1: The Fault of Epimetheus.
Raj Kumar Shukla was the person who convinced Mahatma Gandhi to visit Champaran which later led to the Champaran Satyagraha. Shukla at the time paid well to work under Hafiz Din Mohammad and was sent to meet Gandhi.
Shripad Raghunath Joshi (1920–2002) was a Marathi author from Maharashtra, India.
Shankar Dattatraya Javdekar, popularly known as Acharya Javdekar, was a Marathi writer from Bombay State, India.
Hermann Kallenbach was a Lithuanian-born Jewish South African architect who was one of the foremost friends and associates of Mahatma Gandhi. Kallenbach was introduced to the young Mohandas Gandhi while they were both working in South Africa and, after a series of discussions, they developed a long-lasting association.
Saraswatichandra is a Gujarati novel by Govardhanram Madhavaram Tripathi, an author of early twentieth century from Gujarat, India. Set in 19th-century India, It is acclaimed as one of the masterpiece of Gujarati literature. Though the novel was published in four parts, each part has a distinct thematic content, its own cast of characters and independent beginnings and ends. It was adapted into several plays, radio plays, films and TV series. It was well received by the number of critics, and was translated into several Indian languages, along with English. However, Suresh Joshi, a strong proponent of formalism theory, criticized the novel for its structural failure.
Yerawada is a neighbourhood of the city of Pune in the state of Maharashtra, India. Before that British Raj Yerawada was known as Yeraoda. Yerawada is one of the most densely populated areas in Pune. It is located at the beginning of Ahmednagar highway and also on the way to old Pune Airport at Lohagaon. This place can be reached after crossing Mula-Mutha River through Yerawada Bridge from Bund Garden.
Manilal Nabhubhai Dwivedi was a Gujarati-language writer, philosopher, and social thinker from British India, commonly referred to as Manilal in literary circles. He was an influential figure in 19th-century Gujarati literature, and was one of several Gujarati writers and educators involved in the debate over social reforms, focusing on issues such as the status of women, child marriage, and the question of whether widows could remarry. He held Eastern civilisation in high esteem, and resisted the influence of Western civilisation, a position which drew him into conflicts with other social reformers of a less conservative outlook. He considered himself a "reformer along religious lines".
Swami Anand was a monk, a Gandhian activist and a Gujarati writer from India. He was the manager of Gandhi's publications such as Navajivan and Young India and inspired Gandhi to write his autobiography, The Story of My Experiments with Truth. He wrote sketches, memoir, biographies, philosophy, travelogues and translated some works.
Siddhantasara is a 1889 Gujarati book on the history of philosophy by Indian writer and philosopher Manilal Dwivedi. It is a historical critique of the world's religious philosophies. The book deals with the evolution of religious sentiment and attempts to establish the superiority of the Advaita philosophy over other religious philosophies.
Manoj Sakarchand Shah is an Indian theatre director, actor and producer known for his works in the Gujarati theatre. He has directed over 90 plays, such as one-man plays and biographical plays, in different genres. He is known primarily for his quirky biographical plays which include: Hu Chandrakant Bakshi based on the writer of the same name, Mohan No Masalo based on Mahatma Gandhi, Apurva Avsar based on Jain mystic Shrimad Rajchandra, Mareez based on poet Mareez, Jal Jal Mare Patang based on writer-philosopher Manilal Dwivedi, Karl Marx in Kalbadevi based on German philosopher Karl Marx, and Dr. Anandibai Joshi: Like, Comment, Share based on Anandi Gopal Joshi, India's first female doctor. He produces plays under his theatre company Ideas Unlimited.
Tridip Suhrud is an Indian writer, political scientist, cultural historian and translator from Gujarat, India.
Divya Dwivedi is an Indian philosopher and author. She is an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. Her work includes a focus on philosophy of literature, aesthetics, philosophy of psychoanalysis, narratology, revolutionary theory, critical philosophy of caste and race, and the political thought of Gandhi. She is the co-author of Gandhi and Philosophy: On Theological Anti-politics and Indian Philosophy, Indian Revolution: On Caste and Politics.
Shaj Mohan is an Indian philosopher. His philosophical works are in the areas of metaphysics, reason, philosophy of technology, philosophy of politics, and secrecy. Mohan's works are based on the principle of anastasis according to which philosophy is an ever-present possibility on the basis of a reinterpretation of reason.
Sudarshan Gadyawali is a 1909 collection of prose writings by Gujarati writer Manilal Dwivedi (1858–1898), which appeared in his journals Priyamvada and Sudarshan from 1885 to 1898. It contains essays on a broad range of subjects, including religion, ethics, social reform, education, politics, nationalism, theosophy, women's welfare, Eastern and Western philosophy, music, and literature, in addition to a number of book reviews.
The Death and Afterlife of Mahatma Gandhi is a 2014 non-fiction book by Indian writer Makarand Paranjape and published by Penguin Random House. The book is based on the analysis of Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and the situations after his assassination.
Scrap Book, formally published as Govardhanrám Madhavrám Tripáthi's Scrap Book, is a diary written by Indian writer Govardhanram Tripathi from 1885 to 1906. It is a repository of the author's wide-ranging thoughts, including on moral and spiritual conflicts. It provides many details about Govardhanram's life and family.