Indian Ethics

Purushottama Bilimoria is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Studies at Deakin University, Visiting Professor SUNY, Stony Brook, and Columbia University New York, an Editor-in-Chief of Sophia, and Senior Fellow at University of Melbourne, Australia. Joseph Prabhu is Professor of Philosophy at California State University, Los Angeles, USA, and current President-Elect of the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy. Renuka Sharma is formerly of the University of Melbourne, Australia and was a medical and psychoanalytic practitioner, feminist philosopher, and social activist in Australia and India.

'This is a remarkable achievement both in scope and organization and in the outstanding quality of some essays.The editors have earned the gratitude of all Western students of Hindu and Buddhist thought and of comparative ethics. New possibilities of dialogue have been opened up.' --Alasdair MacIntyre, University of Notre Dame, USA 'This collection of essays relating to classical, contemporary and applied moral thinking in and from India makes a significant contribution in an area that is due for just this kind of re-envisioning of possibilities. Bilimoria's essay constitutes an excellent beginning point to initiate the trajectory of studies through the various aspects the essayists plan to cover. Good comparative materials are lacking in Ethics, and this book fills a gap.' --William J. Jackson, Indiana University, Indianapolis, USA 'This is a much needed volume that will have a substantial impact on the ways that scholars of both Indian philosophy/culture and western philosophy conceive of Indian ethics. The sophistication and breadth of the various chapters included will make the volume useful to a wide variety of scholars and non-scholars alike.' --Deepak Sarma, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA '...insightful and noteworthy...this collection opens up the way for further inquiries into comparative studies between Indian and Western ethics...Students and scholars of comparative studies will find this book interesting and beneficial. Recommended.’ --CHOICE

• Contents: Preface; General introduction: Thinking ethics, the West and India. Introduction to Part A Early Indian Ethics - Vedas to the Gita; dharma, rites to 'Right': Dharma, imperatives, and tradition: toward an Indian theory of moral action, J.N. Mohanty; Dharma and rationality, Bimal Krishna Matilal; The myth of the ethics of Purusartha or humanity's life-goals, Daya Krishna; The fires of strangers: a Levinasian approach to Vedic ethics, Laurie L. Patton; Samkhya-Yoga ethics, Roy W. Perrett; Ethics of liberation in Patanjali's yoga, Ian Whicher; Karma's suffering: a Mimamsa solution to the problem of evil, Purushottama Bilimoria; Dana as a moral category, Maria Heim. Introduction to Part B: Buddhist and Jain Approaches to Ethical Decision Making: Purgation and virtue in Jainism: toward an ecological ethic, Christopher Key Chapple; Buddhist ethical theory, Padmasiri de Silva; Are there 'human rights' in Buddhism?, Damien Keown; Buddhism and democracy, Jay L. Garfield; Buddhist reductionism and the structure of Buddhist ethics, Mark Siderits; Animal ethics and ecology in classical India - reflections on a moral tradition, M.K. Sridhar and Purushottama Bilimoria. Introduction to Part C: Reflections on Moral Ideals and Modernity; Ghandi and Nonviolence: Hindu theory of tolerance, Bhikhu Parekh; Action oriented morality in Hinduism, Christopher Key Chapple; The ethical irrationality of the world: Weber and Hindu ethics, Pratap Bhanu Mehta; Social injustice, retribution and revenge: a normative analysis of the contemporary social scene, Rajendra Prasad; Gandhi, empire and a culture of peace, Joseph Prabhu; Ethical skepticism in the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo, Stephen Philips. Index.