Description

Book Synopsis
The Arthaśāstra is the foundational text of Indic political thought. By analyzing its early history, Mark McClish overturns prevailing beliefs that ancient India was governed by religion and shows that this text originally espoused a political philosophy characterized by empiricism and pragmatism, ignoring the sacred mandate of dharma altogether.

Table of Contents
1. Introduction; 2. Arthaśāstra historiography; 3. The resegmentation of the Arthaśāstra; 4. Citation and attribution; 5. The deep structure of the text; 6. The history of the Arthaśāstra; 7. The politics of the Daṇḍanīti; 8. Varṇadharma in the Arthaśāstra; 9. Statecraft, law, and religion in ancient India; Appendices.

The History of the Arthasastra

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    A Hardback by Mark McClish

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      Publisher: Cambridge University Press
      Publication Date: 11/07/2019
      ISBN13: 9781108476904, 978-1108476904
      ISBN10:
      Also in:
      Asian history History of ideas

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      The Arthaśāstra is the foundational text of Indic political thought. By analyzing its early history, Mark McClish overturns prevailing beliefs that ancient India was governed by religion and shows that this text originally espoused a political philosophy characterized by empiricism and pragmatism, ignoring the sacred mandate of dharma altogether.

      Table of Contents
      1. Introduction; 2. Arthaśāstra historiography; 3. The resegmentation of the Arthaśāstra; 4. Citation and attribution; 5. The deep structure of the text; 6. The history of the Arthaśāstra; 7. The politics of the Daṇḍanīti; 8. Varṇadharma in the Arthaśāstra; 9. Statecraft, law, and religion in ancient India; Appendices.

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