Philosophical Reasoning: Critical Essays on Issues in Metaphysics, Language, Logic, Ethics and Indian Philosophy

Contents: Preface. 1. Metaphysics. 2. Language, truth and logic. 3. Ethics and religion. 4. Indian philosophy. Bibliography. Index. This collection of Prof. N.G. Kulkarni’s writings indicates a landscape of philosophical problems and reasoning towards an understanding of philosophical arguments. Like most philosophers Prof. Kulkarni’s reflections also shaped his beliefs about fundamental notions like mind and body, truth and logic, reason and morality. His thoughts seem to move in both directions: the minute details and consequences of philosophical theses as well as the big picture, as it were, in terms of connecting the diverse themes of one’s philosophical world. The book is divided thematically into four sections: Metaphysics; Language, Truth and Logic; Ethics and Religion; and Indian Philosophy. Metaphysics deals with classic debates ranging from Kant’s critique of metaphysics, moving through Bradley’s coherence theory of truth and the problem of universals and sense-data as well as problems of person and personal identity. Language, Truth and Logic surveys analytic philosophy and its main assumptions, and discusses the importance of logic and language that characterizes a significant part of the twentieth century and indeed shaped and continues to shape the twenty-first century. Issues in Ethics and Religion explore crucial ideas of freedom and violence, in addition to the meaning of the religious and the moral life. Indian Philosophy showcases his scholarly writings on Nyaya and Yoga as well as concepts in Jainism and Buddhism. This volume should be of great interest to not only students and teachers of philosophy but also across disciplines. Anyone interested in understanding what philosophy is all about will learn one more way of thinking and doing philosophy.…