CIT: Consciousness

Theories of consciousness form a cornerstone of the Indian philosophical tradition. CIT, the first volume in the foundations of philosophy in India series, offers a wide-ranging and penetrating survey of the myriad conceptions of consciousness in classical Indian thought. Based on careful philological and phenomenological analysis of classical philosophical Sanskrit sources, Bina Gupta presents interpretations of the theories of consciousness in the Upanisads, and the Nyaya, Yogacara, and Advaita schools. Consciousness also forms the core of much of the current debate in contemporary Western philosophy, spurred by advances in fields such as neuroscience. In view of the recent surge of interest in the subject, this book examines current challenges to the idea of consciousness in Western philosophy, and makes a unique attempt to compare Indian theories with the Western accounts of Kant, Hegel, Husserl, Derrida, and even quantum physics. This thought-provoking volume will acquaint readers with some of the oldest philosophical traditions in the world, while offering them a reference point with which to comprehend more fully contemporary developments in theories of consciousness. It will attract students and scholars of both Indian and Western philosophy as well as the informed general reader.