Gandhi and Grant: Their Philosophical Affinities

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George Grant, one of the most original thinkers of Canada, was a great nationalist ever born in Canada. He was by profession a philosopher and a political scientist and taught both these subjects in the University of Mc Master and the University of Dalhousie. In his major work “Lament for a Nation” which made him famous as an original philosopher he expressed his concern about the dangers of technology and modernism rather more intensely in another book “Technology and Empire”, which also established him an idealist philosopher of Canada. Garnt’s writings still actively influence many Canadian politicians, political scientists, philosophers, religious preachers and scholars.

Although Grant is not much known in India, his ideas and views seem quite relevant in understanding contemporary Indian social problems. It is interesting to know that Grant’s views on technology and modernism (which is found in his Lament for a Nation, 1965) echo Mahatma Gandhi’s critique of technology a modernization (which can be found in his Hind Swaraj, 1990), although the philosophical and logical foundation of their ideological position may differ quite significantly.

The unbounded technological growth and modernization have caused severe harm to our environment and we observe a growing concern around the world today for the preservation of our environment against the onslaught of growth. Problems of global warming, climate change and massive deforestation have posed a threat to our life, survival and sustainability. It is in the face of such threat to our future survival that one can find relevance of the views of Gandhi and Grant in addressing to the problems of conservation and preservation of the scare resources provided by Mother Nature.

In order to re-assess and re-examine the relevance of both Grant and Gandhi in addressing to the contemporary social problems of the world, we considered the possibility of bringing out a volume and the present volume is modest attempt to pay our tribute to two of the greatest minds of the twentieth century Canada in India.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Arati Barua

Arati Barua is an Associate Professor and head of the Department of Philosophy, Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi, New Delhi. She is the Founder Director of the Indian Division of the Schopenhauer Society (IDSS). Besides being a member of various academic Societies such a Schopenhauer Gesellshaft, Germany, North American division of Schopenhauer Society (NADSS), USA and Indian Association for Canadian Studies (IACS), India etc., she is also a member of the scientific advisory board of the Schopenhauer Jahrbuch, Germany. She was awarded a Faculty Research fellowship of SICI (Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute) in 2003 for her project on ‘Grant and Gandhi on technology and modernism’ to work at the University of Guelph, Canada. In 2006 she was awarded a DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) fellowship by the German Research Foundation, Germany, for her collaborative research project on ‘Schopenhauer and Snakara’ to work at the Schopenhauer Research Centre, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.To her credit she has a book. ‘The Philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer’ and an edited volume “Schopenhauer and Indian Philosophy: A Dialogue between India and Germany”. She has published research articles in reputed journals (national and international) of philosophy and her wide research interests range from the philosophy of Schopenhauer and Snakara to Michael Krausz and from George Grant to Mahatma Gandhi. Besides taking part, she has organised various national and International conferences in India and abroad.