PHL 316 - Indian Philosophy II: Ways of Knowing the World

Course Units: 1

(Winter; Nowakowski) This course examines the debates between Buddhist intellectuals and their rivals in two Hindu philosophical traditions, the Nyaya and the Mimamsa, which dominated Indian philosophy from roughly the 6th to the 12th centuries CE. Through close study of the primary texts in translation, we will explore their theories of the ways by which human beings can know the world. We will then see how these Indian philosophers apply their theories of knowledge and good reasoning to a variety of disputed questions about the existence of God, the self, reincarnation, and the structure of the external world.
No prior experience with Indian or Asian philosophy or religion is assumed or expected. However, given the challenging nature of the texts, some prior work in philosophy (whether eastern or western) would be a very good idea! CC: HUM