Individuality from the Vantage Points of Two Philosophical Traditions (Paperback)

Three factors make this volume significant to works in global philosophy. First, it is an exercise in comparative philosophy concerned with Indian and African philosophical traditions. Comparative philosophy in this area is rare indeed. Second, the study demonstrates how Indian and African philosophies can contribute to the issues of self and identity from a global point of view. This is of crucial importance in a globalized world with increasingly complex interconnectedness. Mention is also made of how the two philosophical traditions can contribute to the traditional concerns relating to identity in the western philosophical traditions. Finally, an elaborate argument that rejects the traditional criticisms that individuality as defined in India and Africa subjugates autonomy is offered to counter some misleading conceptions relating to the grounds of individuality in certain Indian and African philosophical traditions. An attempt to answer the questions of how a society ought to conceive humankind in relation to community is significant in the sense that human beings ought not to be conceived as mere objects.