Description
Book SynopsisBeginning with the earliest strata of Indian philosophy, this book uncovers a distinct tradition of skepticism in Indian philosophy through a study of the three pillars of Indian skepticism near the beginning, middle, and end of the classical era: Nagarjuna (c. 150-200 CE), Jayarasi (c. 770-830 CE), and Sri Har?a (c. 1125-1180 CE). Moving beyond the traditional school model of understanding the history of Indian philosophy, this book argues that the philosophical history of India contains a tradition of skepticism about philosophy represented most clearly by three figures coming from different schools but utilizing similar methods: Nagarjuna, Jayarasi, and Sri Har?a. This book argues that there is a category of skepticism often overlooked by philosophers today: skepticism about philosophy, varieties of which are found not only in classical India but also in the Western tradition in Pyrrhonian skepticism. Skepticism about philosophy consists of intellectual therapies for those afflic
Trade ReviewEthan Mills has written a lovely book on Indian skepticism. It shows that skepticism is not merely a Greek phenomenon, but enjoys a long history in India. This book addresses skepticism both in the orthodox and Buddhist traditions, and enriches our understanding of the interaction between those traditions and the development of philosophical dialectics in India. The account is erudite, nuanced, full of good translation and exposition. It is philosophically sophisticated, and easy to read. Anyone interested in skepticism or in Indian philosophy should read it. -- Jay Garfield, Smith College
This book offers thought-provoking interpretations of three major figures in Indian thought. With technical precision, careful translation, and most notably, insightful comparisons with Western discussions, Mills makes an impressive and persuasive case for 'expanding the history of philosophical skepticism', and leads us to think afresh about the purposes and limits of doing philosophy today. -- Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, Lancaster University
Ethan Mills makes a strong case for the skeptical positions of Nāgārjuna, Jayarāśi and Śrī Harṣa, which according to him should be appreciated as forms of "skepticism about philosophy" rather than epistemological skepticism. This is something any lover of philosophy should take seriously. -- Pradeep Gokhale, Savitribai Phule Pune University
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Classical Indian Skepticism about Philosophy: Expanding the History of Philosophical Skepticism Chapter 1: Skeptical Roots in Early Indian Philosophy: Ṛg Veda, Upaniṣads, and Early Buddhist Texts Chapter 2: Nāgārjuna’s Buddhist Skepticism: From Emptiness to the Pacification of Conceptual Proliferation Chapter 3: Nāgārjuna and the Cause of Skepticism Chapter 4: Jayarāśi’s Cārvāka Skepticism: Irreligious Skepticism about Philosophy Chapter 5: Jayarāśi and the Delightful Destruction of Buddhist Epistemology Chapter 6: Śrī Harṣa’s Advaita Skepticism: The Critique of Realism and the Possibility of Mysticism Chapter 7: Śrī Harṣa on Knowledge, Existence, and the Limits of Philosophy Conclusion: The History of Indian Skepticism and Mitigated Skepticism about Philosophy
