Gandhi and Philosophy: On Theological Anti-Politics

2017 | Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences

Gandhi and Philosophy: On Theological Anti-Politics is the first in-depth philosophical study of Gandhi. Placing his writings and practices within a unique system of their own, it examines the modern political and scientific elements in Gandhi's thought and discusses his impact on 20th-century philosophy. Marking a major break with many of the current readings of Gandhi's thought, this book removes him from the postcolonial and Hindu nationalist axis. Using Kant to explain the cohesion and interconnectedness of Gandhi's ideas, the authors discuss his thought in respect to both Western and Indian philosophical traditions. This unifying approach enables the authors to compare and contrast Gandhian concepts with those of the European tradition, such as the concepts of will, truth, metaphysics, anarchy, and value. By analysing the relation between truth and will in Gandhi and his Western precedents and antecedents, it adds a new unexplored dimension to contemporary debates on truth and fidelity, and the debates on truth and secrecy.

It also provides a closer examination of the ancient Indian concept of Kama, what it meant to Gandhi and why it needs to be viewed independently of desire and pleasure. From truth, non-violence and authority to resistance, anarchy and kama, this original study illuminates the relevance of Gandhi's ideas still active today in movements like Occupy Wall Street and the thought of the Other.

Divya Dwivedi (Author)