19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An amazing little book, November 6, 2006
This review is from: INDIAN PHILOSOPHY: A Very Short Introduction (Paperback)
I am a big fan of the entire "Very Short Introduction' series, and have read several dozens of them. However, even in that field of mostly outstanding introductory books, this one stands out. I cannot give it enough praise. This is an eminently readable yet extremely intellectually stimulating book. It manages to convey the full richness and subtlety of Indian philosophical tradition, or at least as much of it as can fit in this format. Hamilton takes us through the historical development of the Indian philosophical thought, linking each new development to the previous ones, and emphasizes its significance. This is the first book that has convinced me that there are highly sophisticated philosophical traditions that have emerged outside of the Greco-Roman world. It would be of interest to anyone interested in philosophy, and not just for those interested in Indian thought. I highly recommend this book.
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22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Very Useful Overview of REAL Indian Philosophy, October 29, 2004
This review is from: INDIAN PHILOSOPHY: A Very Short Introduction (Paperback)
Many of the negative reviews of this EXTREMELY USEFUL overview are highly sectarian. They typically confuse the general stream of Indian religous thought with parts of classical Indian thought that might be especially of interest to Western-trained PHILOSOPHERS. Philosophers and academic philosophy students comprise Hamilton's intended audience, and, for that audience, Hamilton could not have done a better job in the space this series afforded her. For what it is, I could not recommend anything on the market more highly than Hamilton's book.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A reliable and readable introduction, September 21, 2008
This review is from: INDIAN PHILOSOPHY: A Very Short Introduction (Paperback)
This excellent entry in the VSI series would serve as a good introduction to philosophy in general, as it takes pains to define terms like metaphysics, epistemology, exegesis and soteriology, basic terminology that might be new to the non-specialist. It is a scholarly but very readable account, with useful illustrations.
In the nineteenth century, specific schools of thought were presented to the West as 'Hinduism' or 'Indian philosophy', and these views - polytheistic and monistic - are very often still regarded as representative. This is rather like presenting Lutheranism as 'European religion' and Existentialism as 'European philosophy'. Another excellent book in this series - Hinduism, by Kim Knott - corrects the first misapprehension, and this present book corrects the second.
Philosophy and religion have combined in Indian thought in a way that differs from the Western tradition - at least, since Kant and the Enlightenment. Thus, a work like this invites us to approach philosophical enquiry in a new way, or at least to recognize an alternative approach.
Like all the authors in this series, Hamilton has the problem of encapsulating a vast subject into a small space. In Chapter 1, the author describes the selections she has made and why she has made them - in particular, why she chose to exclude Jainism. The book concentrates on the classical period beginning in the 5th century BC (interestingly, a history of Western philosophy would likely begin in the same era, with the same backward glance at the religious and mythical traditions from which it evolved). The 6 classical darsanas are mentioned, and enough authors and texts are referenced to give you plenty of scope for further study, if you wished.
Highly recommended.
[PeterReeve]
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