Decent Books
34 books
An in-depth study of the thoughts of Babasaheb Ambedkar on the social, economic and legal system of India, this book examines the relevance of Ambedkar’s thoughts today when societies have disparities and are going through conflicts. It deals with aspects of Ambedkar’s life, his social and economic philosophy, contribution to social justice, and his struggle for rights of weaker sections in society. The volume deals with the social condition and ...
The book is an open-minded evaluation of Wittgenstein’s philosophy of language from fresh perspectives to bring out its contemporary significance. Including papers presented by noted Indian philosophers at a national seminar, it examines the special place of Wittgenstein in the development of philosophy in the West in the twentieth century. The papers offer an in-depth critique of Wittgenstein’s theories on the limits and structure of language, operationalism ...
Indian literature abounds in a variety of myths and legends narrating allegorical/historical stories with moral teachings where celestial or semi-celestial beings, in particular the apsarases occupy an important place. Of such legends, a few have become much popular and they reappear in the course of the history of literature at various stages. One such legend is that of Urvsi and Pururavas which is one of the most ancient legends of India, owing its origin to ...
The Land of Kashmir, celebrated as paradise on earth for its scenic beauty, has an equally enchanting historical and cultural past: this is the place symbolizing India’s cultural unity, where different cultures have prospered at different times, where scholars from all over India and the distant lands of Mesopotamia, Persia and China converged to imbibe learning in ancient times. The author, S.Sapru here unravels the glorious past of Kashmir; he discusses its ...
The old and aged in a society represent the bedrock of its existence: symbolizing the past. They are the carriers of tradition, values and experience, the guiding light for the young without whom society is not total and lose its stability. And progress that a society makes, culturally and morally, is reflected in the way it treats its aged. This volume, comprising presentations at a national seminar on issues of ageing of current importance, takes up crucial ...
Philosophical query into the working of language has occupied an important place in the rich tradition of thought in India since the ancient times. This book throws light on various debates in classical Indian Philosophical tradition concerning the structure of language and meaning. Papers in this book have been arranged in four groups basing on their thematic composition. The book begins with the general issues relating to language as figured in classical ...
This is work in a significant area of Indian philosophy on which very little work has been done. Most of the Indian philosophers, to whatever school or tradition they belong, have shown concern for understanding the basic claims of religion and for most of them the problems of religion are those that are generated by sruti tradition of Hinduism. Instead of taking any philosophical position in approaching the understanding the problems of religion, this work tries ...
Gandhi (1869-1948) held no political office. Yet he could arouse the conscience of an entire subcontinent! A lean, frail, ‘half-naked fakir’ – armed with a wooden staff and simple dignity of a human being, he fought against the greatest empire, the world has known. It was just the moral grandeur of his soul, which enabled him to fight against brute power, in any form, even vanquish it. "Generations to ...
Persons, Mind and Value focuses on the link between persons and values: and as values are linked with the mentality of the subjects, relevant features of mind have been brought to focus.Philosophical accounts of personhood have often been used for building normative ethical theories and persons have usually been thought of as moral agents, responsible for their actions done with freedom. Against the backdrop of this, the authors have attempted to delineate the ...
The book is a detailed study (in tow volumes) of the traditional concept of Hindu marriage as a sacrament, analysing the validity of the reasons for incorporating the provision of divorce in the Hindu Law. Relying on a variety of original and secondary sources - the juridical literature of ancient texts like the Vedas, Dharmasutras and works of eminent scholars on the subject, it first examines the status of women under Sastric law: her exalted position in family ...
The book is a comprehensive study of different aspects of Thai political life, religion, art and literature with the emphasis on the role of Buddhism in influencing the Thai culture and way of life. Showing how Thailand has a unique blend of a glorious past traceable to very early times and remarkable modernisation attempts, it traces, under political history, the earliest dynasties of kings and their battles and wars to found empires and cities down to more ...
The region of Orissa, from the point of view of studies in historical geography, has always remained a challenging area, not least owing to its vast and complicated history, varied geography and intriguing sources. Though the historical geography of this region has been considered for analysis in the past, it has only been featured as a chapter or in a section as part of a larger whole. Thus, this work is perhaps the first attempt to present a comprehensive ...
The novels of F. Scott Fitzgerald reflect the life he lived. They can, in fact, be seen as the records of a pilgrim in his progress from innocence to experience. Almost as a rule all the heroes in Fitzgerald’s novels mature as they encounter the real world. All his major works illustrate an agonized search for the true inner self, a quest for individuality. This book traces the development of Fitzgerald and his characters from dreams to ...
This book acquaints Asian readers with traditional ideas and values that have shaped the culture of Western world over centuries. Written in simple language, it throws light on dominant thinkers and ideas of classical Greece and Rome as well as the religious traditions of Jews and Christians. Greek mythology, Greek epic literature and drama are included in the survey. The impact of Greek philosophy in moulding of Western thought as well as the Roman ...
The contribution of women of sustenance and survival of cultures and civilization, as such, has assumed new proportions in the last century or so, with women engaging themselves in a range of activities for themselves in a range of activities for livelihood in urban centers. Their contributions have, however, largely gone unacknowledged due to various factors. This study attempts to address this aspect by focusing on the role of urban women in the handicrafts ...
How are we to understand the many religious traditions of humankind? Should we view our own religion as true and all others false? Should we regard all religions as the same? Should we view the religions as a cacophony? Professor Bryant explores these questions in this challenging book. He seeks to find a path through contemporary religious conflict that will lead us to greater understanding and appreciation of the plurality of religious traditions. Woven on the ...
The book is an in-depth study of the socio-cultural life of the Mising tribe of Assam, the second largest among the plain tribes of Assam. Studying their oral narratives, it deals with the factors that influence the material culture of the tribe and delve, broadly, into their folk art, craft, architecture, costumes and ornaments and food. It examines the way their traditional life pattern and legends, myths and tales are interwoven in aspects of their artistic ...
This book examines two paradigmatic figures, Mohandas Karmchand Gandhi and Gustavo Gutierrez, both involved in the struggle for liberation in their respective contexts. The former successfully led India’s freedom struggle against the British, evolving in the process a unique paradigm rooted in the religious perceptions. He was called the “Mahatma†as well as the “Father of our nationâ€. The latter liberation in the context of the exploitation prevalent ...
The contemporary relevance of Gandhian economic thought with special focus on the rural industrialization forms the central theme of this book. Policies related to planned economy after Independence have not brought the desired changes. Uncontrolled, unplanned and un-regulated industrialization and urbanization have led to many disastrous consequences. In view of this, the book explores the suitability of Gandhian model as a possible remedy for the various ...
Ancient cultures everywhere sought (among other philosophical speculations), to unravel the mystery of the Universe: its origin, its ultimate root, and what sustains and energizes it. As such, they not only tried to conceive the Universe according to their own vision, but also used varied metaphors/images to communicate the grand cosmic mystery that transcends the constraints of space and time, of logic and casuality. Exploring beyond the ‘New-Age’ trend, ...
One of the most discussed of current topics in Philosophy of Mind is the problem of personal identity — the problem of what, if any thing, makes a later person the same person as an earlier person. The book is a rare attempt to analyse the problem in its various aspects and develop a theory by way of answering the questions involved. It divides itself into three parts dealings with (1) the nature and source of the problem; (2) how it has been approached by ...
The concepts of nation and nationalism are generally considered as having their genesis in western modes of thought. However, in this book, Dr. Shiva Acharya attempts to show that the theories of national and nationalism can be traced to the Vedic era on the basis of a painstaking study of the Vedic culture and civilization. The book analyses the social, political, civil and military, economic, religious and philosophical aspects of the Vedic culture to explore ...
Kant’s Concept of the Sublime: A Pathway to the Numinous focuses attention on Kant’s concern with the problem of moral motivation, the significance of the aesthetic experience, particularly the experience of the sublime in terms of his overall concern with morality. As the Sublime is considered in the context of moral motivation, this is a new approach. The work argues that the importance of knowledge of the existence of a supersensible ground of ourselves ...
When the humanistic world view had its beginning in Protagoras’s declaration that man is the measure of things, it was very soon condemned as a subjective, individualistic doctrine — without being understood. Yet, since the importance of humanism in the making of a meaningful, value-based society can never be overlooked, humanistic ideals kept trickling in over the years in both Western and Indian philosophical speculations; and it came to be increasingly ...