Ramesh Pradhan

This work is a collection of papers dealing with the problems concerning the relation between language and mind. It focuses on the recent developments in the philosophy of language and mind, particularly with regard to the computational approach to this subject. The computational approach defended by Fodor and others has changed the very concept of language and mind thus ushering in a new philosophy in recent years. But, not unsurprisingly, there has been a vehement opposition to this approach led by Searle and others which has exposed the limitations of computationalism as a philosophical theory. The controversy regarding language, mind and meaning between the computationalists and their opponents is the main theme of this book. Besides these differing ideologies the book also highlights the general issues regarding meaning, intentionality, necessity, a prioricity, etc. which have an important place in the philosophy of language. This is the first of a two-volume project dealing with language and mind. This book deals exclusively with the Western perspective of the problems of language and mind, while Volume II will deal with the classical Indian approach.

The Gita defends knowledgeKnowledge as a way to spiritual perfectionSpiritual perfection, since for it the highest knowledgeKnowledge is the knowledgeKnowledgeof BrahmanBrahman, the ultimate reality. As already discussed in the previous chapter, actionActionneeds knowledgeKnowledge and belief which are the cognitive aspects of the performance of actionAction. The willWill which is the primary source of actionAction is aided by reasonReason so that an actionAction becomes a perfect actionAction in the moral sense of the term. Moral actions are the dharmaDharma- or duty-based actions which the Gita defines as the highest forms of actionAction.

This book delves into the moral and metaphysical foundations of the philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita into two parts. Part one explores the moral philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita (Gita), detailing the structure of moral actions, the nature of moral agency, and the primacy of free will within a universe governed by eternal divine laws. The second part of this book examines the divine order of the universe, explaining the nature of the supreme Godhead that orchestrates the cosmos according to fixed moral laws, or dharma. Unlike traditional commentaries, this book offers an analytical study of Gita’s core moral and metaphysical concepts. It elucidates why moral agents must detach from their actions and surrender their ego and agency to Godhead, viewing their actions as offerings or yajna. It provides a roadmap for overcoming temporal struggles to attain the timeless reality of the Divine. Presenting the Gita as an open-ended philosophical text, this book addresses how ordinary individuals can lead morally enlightened and spiritually fulfilled lives.

In this essay, I will attempt to reconstruct the metaphysics of consciousness in the Sāṃkhya system. The Sāṃkhya system of metaphysics has offered a very speculative yet innovative theory of consciousness in its theory of puruṣa. Though this is well known as a dualistic system of metaphysics of puruṣa and prakṛti, yet it tends to give primacy of place to the puruṣa as consciousness. The system of Sāṃkhya metaphysics aims at the liberation (kaivalya) of the puruṣa from its bondage to the prakṛti. Therefore, it appears that the Sāṃkhya makes prakṛti and its manifestations a means towards the liberation of the individual and embodied puruṣa. Sāṃkhya succeeds in making room for the liberation of the individual puruṣas within its transcendental metaphysics of consciousness by overcoming the limitations of naturalism. Thus, given the transcendental framework of the Sāṃkhya metaphysics, the resemblance between Vedānta and Sāṃkhya becomes conspicuous to a large extent.

Though ethics is meant for the worldWorld, it so happens that the actual world remains unaffected by the ethical ideals. The world does not appear to be the ideal home for the moral values, because there is always a mismatch between what we expect in morality and what actually happens in the world. The distance between the morally ideal worldWorld and the actual world increases as we move forward in the march of the human civilization. This makes us think whether the world can ever come up to our moral expectations.

The close link between ethics and rationality is well accepted by the moral thinkers (Baier, The Moral Point of View: A Rational Basis of Ethics, Coronell University Press, Ithaca and London, 1958) not only because rationalityRationality provides the foundations for the moral point of view, but also because the content ofKant, I. morality is largely shaped by the practical reasonAristotle (Aristotle ( 1906) Nicomachean Ethics.( F.H. Peters, Trans.). London: Kegan Paul, Trench and Trubner and Co. Ltd.; Kant, I ( 2004). The Critique of Practical Reason. ( T.K. Abbott, Trans.). New York: Dover Publications.). The moral life is considered to be mainly, if not exclusively, shaped by our rational way of living. To be moral is to be rational, that is, to follow the dictates of reason over the dictates of passions and inclinations.

This book delves into the profound question of whether moral philosophy rests upon metaphysical foundations. Contrary to the assertions of moral relativists such as John Mackie and Bernard Williams, who contend that ethics is devoid of metaphysical grounding, this work challenges their claims. Designed for those who approach morality and view ethics as a subject firmly anchored in metaphysics, this book is an essential exploration. It delves into the metaphysical underpinnings of morality, examining the source of morality in the metaphysical self, the intricate relations between ethics, self and the world and the interplay between ethics and metaphysics. It tackles fundamental questions, such as why freedom is the foundational postulate of morality and why, akin to Kant, we must acknowledge the importance of moral law. Furthermore, the chapters explore the nature of values and their metaphysical standing, the practical application of morality in the real world, the essence of virtues as attributes of the human soul, the interconnectedness of morality with rationality and spirituality and the challenges ethics faces from relativism and naturalism. The book appeals to moral philosophy researchers and students interested in unraveling morality's metaphysical roots. It offers an investigative exploration of the intricacies surrounding the problems of morality.

Daya Krishna’s metaphysical engagement with realityReality is far reaching in his entire philosophical journey. He believed that no philosophical explorations into logicLogic and value, ethicsEthicsand societySociety, culturesCultures, and civilizationsCivilizations can begin without a serious inquiry into the nature of realityReality as such, which is presupposed in all these disciplines. He, of course, does not take sides on this issue either with idealismIdealism or with realism, because that can stand as a stumbling block on the road to truthTruth, which is the goal of the philosophical endeavour.

Daya Krishna lived a truly philosophical life. He was not only a profound scholar but also an original thinker with a philosophical worldview of his own. For him, life and philosophy were synonymous in the sense that he lived his own philosophy. What he called creative philosophizingCreative philosophizing was personified in him. He never believed that philosophy is a professional activity confined to classrooms, seminars, and conferences. It was an ever-widening passion for him, not just an occasional occupation. This passion remained with him till his death in 2007.