The Birth of Meaning in Hindu ThoughtIn his letter to B. K. Matilal, dated February 20, 1977, the author of this book wrote about his work on Advaita-Vedanta: " ... It was not to present Advaita in the light of current problems of the logic of scientific discovery and modern philosophy of language ... but just the contrary. I do not believe that any 'logic without metaphysics' or 'philosophy of language without thinking' is possible." This passage alone may serve as the clue to Zilberman's understanding and mode of explaining that specific and highly original approach to (not 'of'!) philosophy that he himself nicknamed modal. Four points would seem to me to be most essential here. First, a philosophy cannot have 'anything un-thinking' as its object of investigation. Language, to Zilberman, is not a phenomenon of con sciousness but a spontaneously working natural mechanism (like, for instance, 'mind' to some Buddhist philosophers). It may, of course, be come used for and by consciousness; consciousness may see itself, so to speak, in language, but only secondarily, only as in one of its modifica tions, derivations or modalities. That is why to Zilberman linguistic- as to Kant psychology - cannot and must not figure as the primary ground for any philosophical investigation. |
Contents
Hindu Systems of Thought as Epistemic Dis | 1 |
Six Epistemic Disciplines Unfolding Into One Another | 48 |
Modal Semiotics and the Categories of Philosophical | 54 |
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absolute action activity actually Advaita Advaita Vedānta analysis antinomies apodictic artha authoritative text axiomatic Brahman Buddhism cognition Commensurement concept consciousness construction corresponding cultural darśanas deontic dharma dialectical epistemological example existence external fact formal logic function grammar Hegel Hindu Hinduism historical hymns ideal immediate implies Indian Logic Indian philosophy individual interpretation jāti judgment kāma Kant kind knowledge language linguistic Mandala material matter māyā means mental metaphysics method methodological Mīmāmsā modality modern natural Nayayikas never Nirukta non-eternal normative Nyāya object ontological organization Pāṇini particular perspective phenomenology position possible presented principle problem produced reality realization reason reflection relation result Ṛgveda ritual Russian Samkara Samkhyā scheme scientific semantic semiotic sense sentence significative signs Skeptical social specific structure subject-matter sūtras theoretical theory thing thinking tion tradition understanding universal Vaiseṣikā values Veda Vedanta Vedic Western philosophical whole words Yaska Yoga Zilberman