•  1242
    The role of philosophy in the academic study of religion in Indian
    Argument: Biannual Philosophical Journal 6 (1): 55-80. 2016.
    Joseph T. O’Connell drew attention to the relative scarcity of academic work on religion in South Asia, and o ered as a plausible explanation for this state of a airs the tension between secular and religio‐political communal interests. This paper explores the potential role of phi‐ losophy as an established academic discipline within this situation, in the context of India. It argues that objective study, including evaluation, of the truth claims of various religious traditions is an important …Read more
  •  72
    On the truth of beauty: Nietzsche, Heidegger, keats
    Heythrop Journal 39 (3). 1998.
    This article is concerned with the validity of what I term the “metaphysico‐religious” interpretation of beauty. This term is intended to cover descriptions and interpretations of beauty which suggest that it indicates: 1) a connectedness of man with nature, of natural things with one another, and/or of man with man in and through some encompassing ground or unity; and, 2) the existence of another and better world, a transcendent reality in which the negative elements of factual existence are so…Read more
  •  66
    On the Value of Happiness
    Canadian Journal of Philosophy 37 (4): 515-546. 2007.
    IntroductionIn November of 1785, Kant published a highly unsympathetic review of the second part of Johann Gottfried Herder'sIdeas for a Philosophy of the History of Mankind. Herder had once been Kant's pupil, and had greatly admired his teacher, but the content of this review shows how profound the philosophical differences between them had by then become. A central area of dispute emerging from the review concerns the nature of happiness, and its place within the ‘destiny’ or ‘vocation’ of the…Read more
  •  60
    Moral Relativism and the Concept of Culture
    Theoria: A Journal of Social and Political Theory 59 (133): 50-69. 2012.
  •  50
    On the value of happiness: Herder contra Kant
    Canadian Journal of Philosophy 37 (4): 515-546. 2007.
    IntroductionIn November of 1785, Kant published a highly unsympathetic review of the second part of Johann Gottfried Herder's Ideas for a Philosophy of the History of Mankind. Herder had once been Kant's pupil, and had greatly admired his teacher, but the content of this review shows how profound the philosophical differences between them had by then become. A central area of dispute emerging from the review concerns the nature of happiness, and its place within the ‘destiny’ or ‘vocation’ of th…Read more
  •  48
    Kantian Ethics in Being and Time
    Journal of Philosophical Research 31 309-334. 2006.
    Heidegger’s Being and Time has been accused of espousing empty decisionism and relativism. I argue, first, that in fact Being and Time’s stress on the situated character of human judgment is supplemented by a very Kantian account of being human that defi nes appropriate behavior towards all entities possessing a certain character. Its analysis of conscience and guilt attempts to uncover the existential basis for the distinction Kant draws between the phenomenal and the noumenal aspects of the se…Read more
  •  44
    Heidegger's Ambiguous Nazism: Dialogue
    Dialogue 47 (1): 163-166. 2008.
  •  43
    Herder is often criticized for having embraced cultural relativism, but there has been little philosophical discussion of what he actually wrote about the nature of the human species and its differentiation through culture. This book focuses on Herder's idea of culture, seeking to situate his social and political theses within the context of his anthropology, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, theory of language and philosophy of history. It argues for a view of Herder as a qualified relativist,…Read more
  •  38
    Nietzsche's contribution to a phenomenology of intoxication
    Journal of Phenomenological Psychology 31 (1): 19-43. 2000.
    Through a reading of Nietzsche's texts, primarily of Thus Spoke Zarathustra, this article develops a phenomenological description of the variety of intoxication exemplified in conditions of drunkenness, or in states of emotional excess. It treats Thus Spoke Zarathustra as a literary expression of such intoxication, arguing against attempts to find a coherent narrative structure and clear authorial voice behind this text's apparent disorder. Having isolated the intoxicated characteristics of Thus…Read more
  •  35
    Enlightened relativism: The case of Herder
    Philosophy and Social Criticism 31 (3): 309-341. 2005.
    Johann Gottfried Herder has been described as the founder of cultural relativism within the German philosophical tradition, which would make him the starting-point for one thread in the pattern of ideas leading to the Nazi disaster. More recently, some scholars have rejected this interpretation, arguing that Herder actually supported the universalist values of the Enlightenment. I argue that Herder’s position is actually a complex, and laudable, blend of universalism and relativism. It includes:…Read more
  •  33
    RésuméCet article analyse le besoin qu'éprouvent certaines personnes de se «reconnecter», ou renforcer lews liens, à une culture dans laquelle elles n'ont jamais été enchâssées, eu égard aux critères auxquels se mesure généralement un tel enchâssement (langue, valeurs, croyances, modes de vie, coutumes religieuses, etc.). Situant les résultats de son analyse par rapport à la pensée de Kymlicka et autres, il fait valoir que des facteurs tels que les liens de parenté, l'identification à autrui et …Read more
  •  33
    The Perils of Indian Secularism
    Constellations 19 (2): 288-304. 2012.
  •  32
    Heidegger and Jaspers
    International Studies in Philosophy 33 (2): 105-130. 2001.
  •  31
    Reply to Tom Rockmore
    Journal of Philosophical Research 31 339-341. 2006.
  •  30
    Herder’s Critique of Pure Reason
    Review of Metaphysics 61 (1): 31-50. 2007.
  •  30
    How not to read the other all the rest can be translated
    Philosophy Today 43 (2): 195-206. 1999.
  •  25
    Herder on the Relation between Language and World
    History of Philosophy Quarterly 21 (2). 2004.
  •  21
    RésuméCet article analyse le besoin qu'éprouvent certaines personnes de se «reconnecter», ou renforcer lews liens, à une culture dans laquelle elles n'ont jamais été enchâssées, eu égard aux critères auxquels se mesure généralement un tel enchâssement (langue, valeurs, croyances, modes de vie, coutumes religieuses, etc.). Situant les résultats de son analyse par rapport à la pensée de Kymlicka et autres, il fait valoir que des facteurs tels que les liens de parenté, l'identification à autrui et …Read more
  •  19
    Kantian Ethics in Being and Time
    Journal of Philosophical Research 31 309-334. 2006.
    Heidegger’s Being and Time has been accused of espousing empty decisionism and relativism. I argue, first, that in fact Being and Time’s stress on the situated character of human judgment is supplemented by a very Kantian account of being human that defi nes appropriate behavior towards all entities possessing a certain character. Its analysis of conscience and guilt attempts to uncover the existential basis for the distinction Kant draws between the phenomenal and the noumenal aspects of the se…Read more
  •  17
    On The Truth of Beauty: Nietzsche, Heidegger, Keats
    Heythrop Journal 39 (3): 243-263. 1998.
    This article is concerned with the validity of what I term the “metaphysico‐religious” interpretation of beauty. This term is intended to cover descriptions and interpretations of beauty which suggest that it indicates: 1) a connectedness of man with nature, of natural things with one another, and/or of man with man in and through some encompassing ground or unity; and, 2) the existence of another and better world, a transcendent reality in which the negative elements of factual existence are so…Read more
  •  12
    The philosophical bases on Heidegger's politics: a response to Wolin
    Journal of the British Society for Phenomenology 25 (3): 241-262. 1994.
  •  12
    How Not to Read the Other: "All the Rest Can Be Translated"
    Philosophy Today 43 (2): 195-206. 1999.
  •  11
    Kantian Ethics in Being and Time
    Journal of Philosophical Research 31 309-334. 2006.
    Heidegger’s Being and Time has been accused of espousing empty decisionism and relativism. I argue, first, that in fact Being and Time’s stress on the situated character of human judgment is supplemented by a very Kantian account of being human that defi nes appropriate behavior towards all entities possessing a certain character. Its analysis of conscience and guilt attempts to uncover the existential basis for the distinction Kant draws between the phenomenal and the noumenal aspects of the se…Read more
  •  8
    This volume examines the motives behind rejections of beauty often found within contemporary art practice, where much critically acclaimed art is deliberately ugly and alienating. It reflects on the nature and value of beauty, asking whether beauty still has a future in art and what role it can play in our lives generally. The volume discusses the possible “end of art,” what art is, and the relation between art and beauty beyond their historically Western horizons to include perspectives from As…Read more
  •  7
    Heidegger has often been seen as having no moral philosophy and a political philosophy that can only support fascism. Sonia Sikka's book challenges this view, arguing instead that Heidegger should be considered a qualified moral realist, and that his insights on cultural identity and cross-cultural interaction are not invalidated by his support for Nazism. Sikka explores the ramifications of Heidegger's moral and political thought for topics including free will and responsibility, the status of …Read more
  •  6
    Questioning the sacred
    In Claire Elise Katz & Lara Trout (eds.), Emmanuel Levinas, Routledge. pp. 3--282. 2005.
  •  1
    Heidegger's concept of Volk
    Philosophical Forum 26 (2): 101-126. 1994.