Living In The Past
As we renew our friendships with friends we haven’t met for years, we sometimes have that uneasy feeling that something is not going well with some of them. …
Philosophy
Sree Narayana Guru’s Humanistic Vision: Beyond Religion, Toward Universal Prosperity
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the princely state of Travancore in Kerala, South India, was a society languishing in the throes of a deeply entrenched and brutal…
The Need For Democratic Tolerance
In the backdrop of growing and aggravating Institutionalised intolerance, there is urgent need to cultivate Democratic Tolerance at all levels and domains. This is particularly required to be cultivated at…
Empathy in Authoritarianism’s Valley of Dry Bones-“I can’t go on. I’ll go on.”
Empathy is weakness, asserts a man, who views the world through ego-inflated grandiosity not the grandeur that is spread before him in the form of the living earth. “The fundamental…
‘Mum, what’s the meaning of life?’ How to talk about philosophy with little kids
If your young child asks “what’s the meaning of life?” you might laugh it off (how cute!) or freeze in panic (where do I even begin?). It’s tempting to dismiss…
Difference Between Liberal Mentality and Liberalism as a Political Ideology
The Quran is not merely a spiritual guide but also a comprehensive framework for ethical, social, and political life. Its teachings emphasize universal values such as equality, fraternity, freedom, and…
Lies Too Big To Fail: The Culture Of Grift
“Everything the State [and the moneyed class that owns it] says is a lie, and everything it has it has stolen.” At present, according to recent polling, 52 percent of…
Are we too smart for our own good?
Evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr (1904-2005)—who, I’m told, was a very smart person—concluded, late in life, that high intelligence may be a lethal mutation. In this article, we’ll explore some reasons for…
Between the Text and the Reader: A Death in Context
Ali Chak passed away the other morning, a death as sudden as it was shrouded in speculation. He had just returned from the mosque after attending the early morning prayers,…
Revolutionising the Self
Bindu Art School in Chengalpattu, a couple of hours by road from Chennai in South India, was set up in 2005 in the Bharatapuram leprosy colony. It was started by…
The Purpose of Human Creation: Secularism, Liberty, and Their Role in the Islamic Framework
Abstract: This study delves into the Quranic concept of human creation, focusing on the dual roles of humans as worshippers (ibad) and vicegerents (khalifah) of God. It presents human life…
A Mind-Blowing Leap
As I settle into and continue to explore the perspective that modernity is destined to fail, was never a long-term-viable idea, and therefore represents a giant blunder, I keep running…
The Enigma of Iqbal’s Khudi: Inspiration Without a Method
Iqbal holds a significant place in the intellectual and literary history of the subcontinent, known for his philosophical discourse and poetic expressions. His works remain influential, particularly among Urdu-speaking communities,…
How Philosophy in India Has a Distorted Conception
Many will agree that philosophy is rarely a general topic of discussion in India for an educated layman. As an academic discipline most of the universities in India do not…
Power, Fear and Control: The Manufactured Crisis in Contemporary Politics
Crisis is often constructed to maintain power structure- Michel Foucault. Society, politics, and economy shape the world. Power dynamics and economic interests control society as we navigate international relations and…
Whither (to where?) Science
Not religion or personality cults but manipulation of the system by the elites through digital technocracy and hijack of science, ought to be the discourse Leo Tolstoy, regarded as one…
Absolutist, Relativist and Cynical Thinking Styles: How Yankees are Blockheads
Outside of Yankeedom, regardless of class, the people of Mordor are rightfully seen - to paraphrase Sam Cooke - as not knowing anything about geography, history or politics. Bruce Lerro's…
How Labour Produced Philosophy, Not Books
Historically there were two streams of philosophical discourses in the world, more particularly in India: The first one was the philosophy of people, who involved in production---agrarian, artisanal, animal economy…
Holistic vs Analytical Thinking
East vs West and The Ecological, Political and Economic Reasons for Their Differences OrientationHow much do left brain pathologies have to do with culture and geography? Recently I was interviewed…
Laws: Plato’s Second Best State
The Laws: The Second Best State The Laws is Plato’s last work on political philosophy. He was still working on it at the time of his death. Plato authored the Republic as…
Plato: the second best way of ruling – The Statesman (The Politicus)
Introduction Plato’s Republic, considered being the foundational text of the western Political Philosophy, is a work of a poetic flight with the youthful imagery and idealism of a young philosopher from…
Origin of Abuse and its Ramifications in the Age of Digital Revolution
Etymologically, the term "abuse" has its roots in both French (abus) and Latin (abūsus). Historically, "abuse" has been employed as both a noun and a verb since the Middle English…
Predicaments of All Forms of Lazy Emotions and Idealisms
Emotion and idealism, in their dual manifestations of utopian aspirations and real-world expressions, serve as the twin pillars underpinning the existence of human life. These elements intricately shape not only…
Laziness as a Form of Resistance
The productivist ideology lies at the core of the profit-making pyramid of capitalism. It perpetuates a relentless cycle characterized by busy schedules, workplace tension, an imbalance in work-life equilibrium, and…
What is Politics?
There are many official and unofficial as well as academic and non-academic approaches and formal/informal definitions of politics and its functioning in society. However, as the most universal concept, it…
The Cradle of Humanity
What reading Georges Bataille could teach you about the birth of art—and of humanity. Why should we explore caves and excavate fossils? Why should we seek more information about our…
How the Concept of Humanity’s Progress is Increasingly Surrounded by Too Many Troubling Questions
In narrow terms of the development of technology and the means of material comfort and luxury, recent decades have witnessed the pinnacle of human achievement. This is often taken to…
The Growing Movement to Bring Back Community Grief and Ritual
A free and open community grief-tending event in Berkeley, California, set an example for coming to terms with loss—of people we love and of nature. White tarp tents lined one…
Understanding History and Future in Terms of Four Crucial Relationships
There are several important perspectives for understanding history and learning from it for future. One of the more useful of these ways may be to seek an understanding in terms…
JEPP Path of Justice, Peace, Environment Protection is Key to Safe Future
What are the most important lessons of history regarding true progress which really brings welfare and happiness? What can we learn from this to resolve the most serious survival crisis…
Certainty in George Berkeley’s Theory of Vision and Immaterialism
George Berkeley is one of the greatest and most influential philosophers of the early modern period. In defending the immaterialism for which he is most famous, he redirected modern thinking…
Human As Christian
My name is Ilaiah--O, you are from a wretched caste I added Shepherd to it--O, you have become a Christian I read and write--O, you have violated the Dharma I…
Morality- Not a question of ten rupees, but character
“Ahh, you know Aai what happened today”? I entered Home with excitement, threw my college bag and entered the kitchen. Mother was preparing Dinner. “Don’t you dare to come into…
The science of mind in the Philosophies of the World and the future of humanity
A two-day seminar cum webinar convened by the World Buddhist Culture Trust brought together a select group of academics and researchers as well as concerned citizens to discuss what is…
The Real Reason why Socrates was Killed and why Class Society Must Whitewash his Death
The killing of Socrates left a stain on the fabric of Athenian society, a stain it nearly expanded 80 years later with similar threats of impiety towards…
Thomas Hobbes – The Communist?
The British materialist philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) is one of the fathers of social contract theory and modern political philosophy. His magnus opus – Leviathan[i] – is a text which…
The Relevance of Marcuse’s One-Dimensional Man and its Failures
Posing the Question This year marks the 57th anniversary of Herbert Marcuse’s One-Dimensional Man (1964). This text, although plagued with a pessimistic spirit, was a great source of inspiration for…
Leaders-followers-cynics-reactionaries
On my first day as a professor of critical writing in a ‘premier’ university, I decided to conduct an experiment in the classroom. I walked in and told the students…
The Interaction between Surrealism and Story Telling
Creative visualization uses imagination, mental images, and the power of thoughts to make objectives come true. Used properly, it can improve and attain richness. It is a power that can…
Change In Worldview Need Of Hour
Written by Poornima Bisineer and Sandeep Pandey As the second more virulent wave of coronavirus rages on, the urban areas seem to be more adversely affected compared to the rural…
Collective for what? Humility and compassion is the need of time
In the recent past we have seen enough of riots, trolling and devaluation of others in the name of collectivity. Nothing is like groups emancipation and collectivity if it is…
Burning on Both Ends–Relations of Dominance Cause Distress on Both Sides
One of the most persistent causes of human distress in world has been that too many human relationships are built around the tendencies of dominance and exploitation. This is…
The Ends of Dissent? A Dissenting Understanding of Dissent
What is ‘dissent’? The term ‘dissent’ was first used in sixteenth century England, to refer to the opinions of those Christian sects that would not conform to the Church of…
Reason, Sociability, and Ethics
Aristotle famously said that man was a social animal: ζῷον πολιτικόν. He also strongly implied that what distinguished man from all other animals was his rationality. Today this description…
When Our Most Important Identity Gets the Least Importance, This Creates Serious Problems
People grow up with several identities. One identity can be that of caste, another one can be that of religion , yet another one can be that of ethnicity.…
War and Peace Through Faith
They say do not contribute silver bricks for Ram temple, because it is difficult to stock silver bricks there. Funny! Union Ministers are pleading to people to contribute to the…
Buddhist Political Theory: Social Contract Theory of the Origin of State
Reader’s Guide Buddhist theory of the origin of state, as contained is Digha Nikaya, one of the collections of Buddha’s teachings) is a great ancient Indian contribution to the history…
What Philosophers say about Coronavirus Prevention?
Written by Thomas Klikauer and Nadine Campbell The 2020-2021 coronavirus is by no means the first pandemic that has impacted people's lives. Throughout history, philosophers have contributed to our understanding…
The Power of Magick: Why Materialists, Atheists And Marxists Need It
Magick is the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with the Will. ― Aleister Crowley, The Book of Thoth ORIENTATION Throwing the…
Common Myths About Human Progress
There are several widely held myths about human progress which have persisted widely for a long time and the wide persistence of these myths has itself become an obstacle in…
What is Progress?
A lot of problems have been caused by the fact that there has not been enough careful thinking on what constitutes human progress and it has been often just taken…
Reclaiming ‘Truth’ from ‘Lies’ and ‘Bullshit’ in the ‘Post Truth’ Society
Truth as Interpretation There can be different versions of truth from what has been already accepted as truth. In 1951, renowned Japanese moviemaker Akira Kurosawa made one of the greatest…
Protests as a marker of Social change
From time immemorial protests have been a very significant way to argue for one's rights. In British India Mahatma Gandhi introduced the non-violent way of protesting publicly which is bhuk…
Today India Needs Both Gandhi and Bhagat Singh, and the Unity of Their Followers More Than Ever Before
In recent times India has been passing through the most difficult period of its post-independence history. The most sacred constitutional precept of social (including inter-faith) equality and harmony is badly…
Religion is not Rational
Religion is not rational, yet attempts are made all the time to prove it is. One example is the Templeton Study. The Templeton Foundation arranged for Christians to pray for 1800…
The Debate Between Violence and Non-Violence in Social Movements
In history there has been a long debate between violence and non-violence in the context of social movements. Some very great persons who brought very beneficial and durable change chose…
Sincere Spirituality For A Better World
Spirituality has always been a very important part of human progress, but these days when we talk about spirituality we feel the need to prefix ‘sincere’, an indicator of how…
Eight Essentials of Human Progress, Always Crucial But Often Neglected
While there are so many factors which are important for true progress of humanity, some of these can be identified as the most crucial and essential. Firstly, there should be…
What Time Is It in Lockdown?
Here where I dwell in the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice has just occurred. The darkest day of the year in a dark year. A few days ago was also…
An Incautious Defense of Optimism
(Optimistically dedicated to Steven Pinker) In a world suffering from a global pandemic, it would be both easy and understandable to be morosely pessimistic. Yet, even here, midst frantic calls…
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