philosophy · 7 philosophy - semester iii – paper 3 indian philosophy: vedic and non-vedic...

ST. PHILOMENA’S COLLEGE

(AUTONOMOUS) MYSORE

UNDER GRADUATE COURSE

THREE YEARS – SIX SEMESTERS

SYLLABUS FOR

PHILOSOPHY

2017-18 onwards

2

ST. PHILOMENA’S COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS), MYSORE – 570015

A COLLEGE OF EXCELLENCE (UGC)

SUBJECT: PHILOSOPHY

SYLLABUS FOR B.A. COURSE UNDER SEMESTER SCHEME

DURATION OF THE COURSE – THREE YEARS/SIX SEMESTERS

FROM THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2017 ONWARDS

Sem

este

r

Title of the Paper

Teaching Scheme

Hrs/Wk Examination Scheme

Theory

No. of

credits Duration in

Hours

Theory/Prac

tical

Proper Max.

Marks

I A Max

Marks Total Marks

I Logic: Western & Indian

Paper-I

06

6 03 80 20 100

II

History of Western

Philosophy: Ancient &

Modern

Paper-II

06

6 03 80 20 100

III

Indian Philosophy: Vedic &

Non Vedic Schools

Paper-III

06

6 03 80 20 100

IV

Contemporary Western and

Indian Philosophy

Paper-IV

06

6 03 80 20 100

V

Philosophy of Nature and

Science

Paper-V

03

3 03 80 20

300 Philosophy of Knowledge

Paper-VI

03

3 03 80 20

Philosophy of Man Paper-

VII

03

3 03 80 20

VI

Philosophy of Being

Paper-VIII

03

3 03 80 20

300

Philosophy of Religion

Paper-IX

03

3 03 80 20

Ethics

Paper- X

03

3 03 80 20

3

Semester I – Paper 1

Logic: Western and Indian

Marks theory – 80, Internal Assessment 20 = 100

6 Hrs/week = 84 Hrs

COURSE OBJECTIVE

Aristotle’s deductive logic which has withstood the tests of many centuries is imparted to

students as an aid to the art and science of correct reasoning and correct argumentation.

Knowledge of Inductive Logic adds further to the formation of the mind of the students. The

Ancient Indian School of logic is Nyaya. It has a combination of both the deductive and

inductive form of reasoning.

SYLLABUS

Unit 1: Nature and Scope of Logic

i) Definition and Scope of Logic

ii) Logic as science or art

iii. Logic as positive and normative science

Unit 2: Words and Terms

i) Properties of Terms: Connotation and Denotation

ii) Classification of Terms

Unit 3: Nature and Modality of Propositions

i) Judgment: Sentences and Propositions; Parts of Propositions

ii) Types of Propositions: Categorical, Hypothetical and Disjunctive

ii) Propositions Based on Quantity and Quality

iii) Distribution of Terms in Propositions

iv) Reduction of Sentences to Logical Form

Unit 4: Inference

i) Immediate inference: Conversion, Observations, Contraposition

ii) Mediate inference or syllogism: Structure and rules of Syllogism

iii) Deductive fallacies

iv) Figures of moods – validity of the arguments

Unit 5: Inductive Logic

Inductive and Deductive reasoning

Elements of Inductive Logic

Scientific Method

Types of Inductive Logic

Unit 6: Nyaya concept of inference (anumana)

i) Constituents of Inference

ii) Vyapti

iii) Types of Inference

iv) Comparison between Nyaya and Aristotelian logic

Primary Reference

Anne Felice, Logic and Theory of Knowledge, Cochin: St Teresa’s College, 1987.

Bola Nath Roy, Textbook of Deductive Logic, Calcutta: S C Sarkar and Sons Ltd., 1949.

4

Hiriyanna, M. Outlines of Indian Philosophy, London: Allen and Unwin, 1932.

Secondary Reference

Basantani, K.T., Introduction to Logic, Bombay: A.R. Sheth & Co., 1976.

Bittle, Celestine, The Science of Correct Thinking, Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Co., 1950.

Cohen & Nagel, An Introduction to Logic and Scientific Methodology, New Delhi: Allied

Publisher, 1990.

Copi, Irving M. & Cohen, Carl, Introduction to Logic (First Indian Reprint), Delhi: Pearson

Education, 2001.

Dasgupta, Surendranath, History of Indian Philosophy, New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1976.

Deussen, Paul, The Philosophy of the Upanisads, Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1908.

Felice, Anne, Logic and Theory of Knowledge, Cochin: St. Teresa’s Mercy Home Press, 1982.

Klenk, Virginia, Understanding Symbolic Logic, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1984.

Mellone, S.H., Introductory Text Book of Logic, London: Win Blackhood and Sons, 1950.

Mohanty, Phani & Sahoo, Harischandra, An Introduction to Deductive Logic, New Delhi:

Kalyani Publishers, 1983.

Sharma, Chandradar, A Critical Survey of Indian Philosophy, Delhi: Motilal Banarasidass, 2012.

Simpson, R.L., Essentials of Symbolic Logic, London: Routledge, 1988.

Stebbing, L.S., A Modern Elementary Logic, London: University Paperback, 1995.

Wolf, A., A Textbook of Logic, Delhi: Surjeet Publications, 1987.

5

Philosophy -Semester II – Paper 2

History of Western Philosophy: Ancient and Modern


6Hrs/week = 84 Hrs

COURSE OBJECTIVE

Western philosophy has its roots in ancient Greek culture, which was revived during the

Renaissance and has had immense influence on subsequent Western thought. The pre-Socratics

were the forerunners, not only of systematic philosophical reasoning but also the forerunners of

modern science. They were followed by the great Socrates who taught people the art of asking

the correct questions, and of thinking for themselves. He ushered in the golden age of Greek

philosophy – the age of Plato and Aristotle.

The history of modern western philosophy developed in the 18th

and 19th

centuries in Europe will

help students to acquaint themselves with the nature of modern trends in thoughts, and the

reasons why they were pursued in the various areas of philosophy; to improve students’ ability

for discerning truth from error, and to assist students in exercising themselves in problem-

solving.

Unit 1: Pre-Socratic Schools

Milesian School: Thales and Anaximander, Anaximanes, Pythagorean School: Pythagoras, and

Ephesian School: Heraclitus, Eleatic School: Xenophanes and Parmenides, Pluralist School:

Anaxagoras and Empedocles, Atomist School: Democritus

Unit 2: Classical Greek Wisdom: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle

Socratic Method, Epistemology and Ethics

Platonic Problem and Dialectic, the Doctrine of Forms, Epistemology and Ethical theory,

Platonism and Christianity

Aristotle’s Metaphysics: The Doctrine of Causality, Philosophy of Nature, Aristotelian Ethics

and Aesthetics

Influence of Greek philosophy on Plotinus and Medieval Philosophy (Augustine and Thomas

Aquinas)

Unit 3: Modern Western Philosophy: Introduction

Introduction to Renaissance and Enlightenment period

Francis Bacon: Life, Works, Induction, Idols or the False Notions

Unit 4: Continental Rationalism

Descartes: Cartesian Method, Cogito ergo sum, Mind, God, Mind-body relation, Ideas

Spinoza: Metaphysics - Monism and Modal System, Psychology, Ethics

Leibniz: The idea of truth and sufficient reason, Substance – Monads,

Unit 5: British Empiricism

John Locke: Representation theory of Perception, Ideas, Simple and Complex ideas, Primary and

Secondary Qualities

Berkeley: Against Abstraction, Immaterialism, To be is to be perceived, Subjective Idealism

David Hume: Origin and Association of Ideas, Skepticism, Moral theory.

Unit 6: The Critical Philosophy of Kant

a) Critique of Pure Reason; b) Transcendental Idealism c) Phenomenon and Noumenon-

Sensibility, Understanding and Reason; d) Limits of Human Knowledge, e) Critique of Practical

reason: Categorical Imperatives and Postulates.

6

Primary Reference

Copleston, Frederick, A History of Philosophy: Greece and Rome, vol. I. New York: Doubleday,

1993.

Copleston, Frederick, A History of Philosophy, Vols. IV-VII, London: Burns and Oates, 1958-

60.

Thilly, Frank, A History of Philosophy, Allahabad: Central Publishing House, 1993.

Masih, U., A Critical History of Modern Philosophy, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1983.

Secondary Reference

Baldner, Kent, Introduction to Philosophy: Lecture Guide, Iowa: Hunt Publishing Company,

1995.

Composta, Dario, History of Ancient Philosophy, Bangalore: Theological Publications of India,

2005.

Demos, R., The Philosophy of Plato, London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1977.

Durant, Will, “Introduction: On the Uses of Philosophy,” The Story of Philosophy, New York:

Will Durant, 1926.

Gaarder, Jostein, Sophie’s World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy, New York: Berkley

Books, 1996.

Hamlyn, D.W., The Pelican History of Western Philosophy, London: Penguin Books, 1989.

Kaipan, Joy, Love of Wisdom: A Beginner's Guide of Philosophy, Bangalore: Kristu Jyoti

Publications, 2010.

Kenny, Anthony, ed., - The Oxford History of Western Philosophy, London: Penguin Books,

1987.

Lewis, J., History of Philosophy, London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1977.

Mondin, Battista, History of Medieval Philosophy, Bangalore: TPI, 1991.

O’Conner, D.J., A Critical History of Western Philosophy, New York: The Free Press, 1985.

Seruton, Roger, Modern Philosophy: An Introduction and Survey, New York: Penguin Books,

1996.

Shields, Christopher, Classical Philosophy, London: Routledge, 2003.

Solomon, Robert and Kathleen Higgins, A Short History of Philosophy, New York: Oxford

University Press, 1996.

Stumpf, Samuel E. and James Fieser, From Socrates to Sartre and Beyond, New York: McGraw-

Hill, 2003.

Taylor, A.E., Aristotle, New York: Methuen, 1930.

Weber, Alfred, History of Philosophy, transl. Frank Thilly, New Delhi: Vishvabharati

Publications, 2007.

7

Philosophy - Semester III – Paper 3

Indian Philosophy: Vedic and Non-Vedic Schools


6Hrs/week = 84 Hrs

COURSE OBJECTIVE

This course aims at a comprehensive view of the six major schools of Indian philosophy

known as darshanas and the three nastika movements. There is a good deal of reasoning in

some of them that is quite independent of the scriptures considered sacred; but others are

closely knit into sacred traditions and may be considered theological rather than purely

philosophical. Buddhism and Jainism also help us to widen our minds concerning eastern

thought.

Unit 1: Charvaka

Introduction, Basic Features, Epistemology, Metaphysics, Self or Soul, Denial of God, Ethics

Unit 2: Jainism

a) Epistemology (Theory of Knowledge) -Syadvada b) Metaphysics -

c) Axiology – Bondage and liberation, Mahavrtasa and Anuvrtas

Unit 3: Buddhism

The Four Noble Truths (Arya Satya). The Doctrine of Dependent Origination

(Pratityasamutpada). The Doctrine of Momentariness (Ksanabhangavada). Doctrine of the

Denial of the Soul (Nairatmayavada). Eight - Fold Path (Astanga Marga). The Concept of

Nirvana.

Unit 4: Nyaya-Vaishesika

i) Nyaya theory of knowledge – four pramanas

ii) Theory of causation and the doctrine of God

iii) Doctrine of seven Padarthas

iv) Atomism

v) Bondage and liberation

Unit 5: Sankya-Yoga

i) Sankya: Prakrti and Purusha – evolution of the world – theory of causation (satkaryavada)

ii) Denial of God – Bondage and liberation iii) Yoga: Ashtanga yoga and the place of God

Unit 6: Purva – Mimamsa and Vedanta (Uttara- Mimamsa)

i) Purva Mimamsa: Six Pramanas Perception (Pratyaksa), Inference (anumana), Comparison

(upamana), Verbal Testimony (Sabda), Implication (arthapatti), Negation (anupalabdi), -

Intrinsic Validity of knowledge (Svata pramanyavada), Religion and Ethics.

Vedanta: Prastana traya, ii) Advaita - The non-dualism of Sankara: a) Sankara's conception of

the world (Maya) b) Sankara's concept of God (Isvara and Brahman), Sankara's conception of

self, c) Sankara’s concept of bondage and liberation, (Jiva)

iii) Visitadvaita: The Qualified Monism of Ramanuja: a) Sources of knowledge (Pramanas),

Metaphysical views - b) Concept of God, soul and matter c) Concept of bondage and

liberation

iv) Dvaita - the Dualism of Madhva: a) the doctrine of Pancha bheda- concept of God, soul

and world, b) Sources of Knowledge, c) Bondage and Liberation

8

Primary Reference

Hiriyanna, M. Outlines of Indian Philosophy, London: Allen and Unwin, 1932.

Sharma, Chandradar, A Critical Survey of Indian Philosophy, Delhi: Motilal Banarasidass, 2012.

Secondary Reference

Chatterjee, Satishchandra and Direndramohan Datta, An Introduction to Indian Philosophy, Rupa,

2007.

Dasgupta, Surendranath, History of Indian Philosophy, New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1976.

Deussen, Paul, The Philosophy of the Upanisads, Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1908.

Koller, John M., Oriental Philosophies, New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1970.

Lal, P., The Bhagavadgita, Delhi: Orient Paperbacks, 1965.

Mahadevan, T. M. P., Outlines of Hinduism, Bombay: Chetana, 1984.

McGreal, Ian P. ed., Great Thinkers of the Eastern World, New York: Harper Collins, 1995.

Phillips, Maurice, The Teaching of the Vedas, Hesperides Press, 2006.

Radhakrishnan, Sarvapalli, Indian Philosophy, Vols. I & II, New Delhi, 1940, Oxford: Oxford


Radhakrishnan, Sarvapalli, The Bhagavadgita, HarperCollins 1994.

Raju, P.T., Structural Depth of Indian Thought, New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1985.

Raju, P.T., The Philosophical Traditions of India, New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1998.

Surendranath Dasgupta, A History of Indian philosophy, 5 Vols., Delhi: Motilal Banarasidass,

1975.

Thachil, J., An Initiation to Indian Philosophy, Alwaye: Pontifical Institute of Philosophy and

Theology, 2000.

9

Philosophy - Semester IV – Paper 4

Contemporary Western and Indian Philosophy


6Hrs/week

= 84 Hrs

COURSE OBJECTIVE

The aim of this course is to help students keep abreast of the most recent trends in

philosophy. In the English speaking world, for instance, a logical and linguistic turn in

philosophy has come into vogue. Philosophical analysis is a method of inquiry in which one

seeks to assess complex systems of thought by ‘analysing’ them into simpler elements whose

relationships are thereby brought into focus.

The aim of presenting the contemporary Indian thinkers is to examine the ways in which

today’s philosophical thinking in India has remained consistent with past trends, and the ways

it has been influenced by western trends and categories of thought. The views of

contemporary Indian thinkers will make the students to think critically various philosophical

standpoints belonging to different ages and worlds.

Unit 1: Analytic Tradition

Bertrand Russell

Ludwig Wittgenstein

An Introduction to Logical Positivism

Unit 2: Pragmatic Tradition

C. S. Peirce

William James

John Dewey

Unit 3: Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Vivekananda

Movements that preceded Ramakrshna Movement

a) Brahmo Samaj and Aryasamaj

b) Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Dayanand Saraswati

Religious Scriptures and Spiritual Experience

Open Search for God Experience

Vivekananda and Interpretation of Tradition and Advaita

Practical Vedanta and Religion

Unit 4: Radhakrishnan and Approach to Philosophy

Philosophy as a View and a Way of Life

Advaitic Epistemology and Metaphysics

An Intuitionist Ethics of Vedanta

Religion for Integration and Unity

Unit 5: Aurobindo and Integral Vision

Integral Yoga

Involution and Evolution

Social Philosophy

10

Unit 6: Gandhi and Ambedkar

Gandhian truth and God

The concept of Satyam and Ahimsa

Political Philosophy: Non-Violent Society and State

Religion as Service to Humanity

Social Philosophy of Ambedkar

Primary Reference

Craig, Edward, Routledge History of Philosophy, Vol. VII, London: Routledge, 1994.

Luntley, Michael, Contemporary Philosophy of Thought, Oxford: Blackwell, 1999.

O’Connor, D.J., A Critical History of Western Philosophy. New York: The Free Press, 1985.

Radhakrishnan, S., Indian Philosophy, Volume 1 & 2, London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd.,

1923.

Secondary Source A

Kenny, Anthony, ed., The Oxford Illustrated History of Western Philosophy. New York:

Oxford University Press, 1997.

Stumpf, Samuel E. and James Fieser., From Socrates to Sartre and Beyond, New York:

McGraw-Hill, 2003.

Dummet, M.A.E., The Origins of Analytical Philosophy, London: Duckworth, 1993.

Frege, G., “On Sense and Reference”, in Translations from the Philosophical Writings of

Gottlob Frege, ed. M. Black and P. Geach, Blackwell: Oxford, 1952.

Hacker, P.M.S., Wittgenstein’s Place in Twentieth-Century Analytical Philosophy, Oxford:

Blackwell, 1996.

James, William, Pragmatism and Other Essays, New York: Washington Square Press, 1963.

Peirce, C.S., Pragmatism and Pragmaticism, vol. 5, of Collected Papers, ed. C. Hartshorne

and P. Weiss, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1934.

Russell, B., The Analysis of Mind, London: Allen & Unwin, 1921.

Whitehead, A.N., Process and Reality, New York: The Free Press, 1979.

Wittgenstein, L., Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, transl. C.K. Ogden and F. P. Ramsey,

London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1922.

Wittgenstein, L., Philosophical Investigations, transl. G.E.M. Anscombe, Oxford: Blackwell,

1953.

Secondary Source B

Ambedkar, Baba, Emancipation of Untouchables, Bangalore: Hosadikku Prakashana, 1992.

Basu, Durga Das, Introduction to the Constitution of India (10th ed.), South Asia Books,

1984.

Brecher, Michael, Nehru: A Pontifical Biography, London: Oxford University Press, 1959.

Copley, Antony, Gurus and Their Followers: New Religious Reform Movements in Colonial

India, New Delhi: OUP, 2000.

Cronin, Vincent, A Pearl to India, The Life of Robert de Nobili, New York: E. A. Dutton &

Company, 1959.

11

Gandhi, M.K., An Autobiography, Or The Story of my Experiments with Truth, transl.

Mahadev Desai, Ahmedabad: Navaajivan 1927, Reprint 1998.

Guru, Vandana, Ashrams and Christians, London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 1978.

Jatav, D. R., Social Philosophy of Ambedkar, Agra: Phoenix Publishing Agency, 1965.

Nasr, S. Hossein, Sufi Essays, London: George Allen & Unwin, 1972.

Pandey, Susmita, Medieval Bhakti Movement, Meerut: Kusumanjali Prakashan, 1989.

Radhakrishnan, S., Idealistic View of Life, London: George Allen & Unwin, Ltd 1929.

Roy, Rammohan. The English Works of Raja Rammohan Roy, Calcutta: Sadharan Brahma

Samaj, 1945-1958.

Sarvapalli, Radhakrishnan, The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore, London: Macmillan,

1918.

Selections from the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama,

Thirteenth Impression, 1995.

Sing, Arya Krishan, Swami Dayananda Saraswati: A Study of his Life and Work, Delhi:

Manohar, 1987.

Vivekananda, Swami, Science and Philosophy of Religion, Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 2012.

12

Philosophy - Semester V – Paper 5

Philosophy of Nature and Science


3Hrs/week = 42 Hrs

COURSE OBJECTIVE

The Philosophy of Nature introduces students to the various ways in which people of

different times and places have considered nature, at different stages: mythical, religious,

philosophical, scientific, particular attention being paid to the transformation of the Greek

philosophy of Nature into contemporary science. The relevance of Aristotelian philosophy,

the scientific or the philosophical cosmology, relevance of Aristotelian hylomorphism, the

beginning and the end of the world are some of the areas that we will try to study in this

course. This course will open the minds of the students to general culture and information

concerning the material world at the micro as well as the macro levels.

The Philosophy of Science has been recently introduced because of its critical evaluation of

science. This branch of philosophy is relatively young. Applying epistemology, logic and

metaphysics to scientific method and activity, it attempts an answer to questions concerning

the relations between science and truth.

Unit 1: Pre-Socratic Philosophy of Nature

Ancient cosmologies: Vedic and Biblical

The Pre-Socratic Cosmology

Unit 2: Plato, Aristotle and Scholasticism

Plato’s philosophy of Nature

Aristotle's Hylomorphism

Scholastic notion of nature

Unit 3: History of Science

Western physics and cosmology: From Ptolemy to Copernicus

Environmental Philosophy – Eastern and Western

Unit 4: History of Science

Western physics and cosmology: From Copernicus to the electronic age

Copernicus

Tycho Brahe

Kepler

Galileo

Newton

Theories of light, heat, sound, magnetism and electricity

Relativity and Quantum physics

Unit 5: Philosophy of Science

Introduction Philosophical reflections on, implications and interpretations of the concepts,

laws, methods and theories of science.

Logical Positivism: Basic Ideas, Implications and Critique

Historicism (Social Constructivism): Basic Ideas, Persons, Implications and Critique

13

Historical Realism: Basic Ideas, Persons, Implications and Critique

Relativistic Revolution

Newtonian vs. quantum mechanics

Scientific Theories on the Origin and End of the Universe and their Critique

Primary Reference

Aristotle, The Complete Works of Aristotle 1 & 2, Oxford transl., ed. Barnes, Jonathan,

Princeton 1984.

Nandan, M. R., Philosophy of Science: A Brief Introduction, Bangalore: The Bangalore

Philosophy Forum.

Gillies, Donald, Philosophy of Science in the Twentieth-Century, Oxford: Blackwell

Publishers, 1993.

Russell B., History of Western Philosophy, London: George Allen and Unwin, 1969.

Secondary Reference

Barnes, Jonathan, ed., Early Greek Philosophy, London: Penguin Books, 2001.

Black, John, The Dominion of Man: The Search of Ecological Responsibility, Edinburgh:

Edinburgh University Press, 1970.

Chalmers, Alan, What Is This Thing Called Science? An Assessment of the Nature and Status

of Science and its Method, 2nd

ed. Milton Keynes: Open University Press, 1992.

Fox, Warwick, Toward a Transpersonal Ecology: Developing New Foundations for

Environmental Philosophy, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994.

Gruen, Lori and Dale Jamieson, ed., Reflecting on Nature: Readings in Environmental

Philosophy, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994.

Hawking, Stephen, A Brief History of Time, London: Bantam Books, 1999.

Kuhn, Thomas, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 2nd

ed., Chicago: The University of

Chicago Press, 1970.

Ladyman, James, Understanding Philosophy of Science, London & New York: Routledge,

2002.

Passmore, John, Man’s Responsibility for Nature: Ecological Problems and Western

Traditions, London: Duckworth, 1974.

Passmore, John, The Perfectibility of Man, London: Duckworth, 1970.

Popper, Karl, The Myth of the Framework In Defence of Science and Rationality, M.A.

Notturno, ed. London: Routledge, 1994.

Sambursky, S. and I.B. Cohen, The Birth of a New Physics, London: Penguin, 1992.

Singer, C., A Short History of Scientific Ideas to 1900, Oxford: Oxford University, 1959.

Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Aristotle’s Metaphysics, transl. Rowan, John P., Indiana:

Dumb Ox Books, 1961.

Waterfield, Robin, The First Philosophers: The Pre-Socratics and the Sophists, Oxford:


14


Philosophy of Knowledge


3Hrs/week = 42 Hrs

COURSE OBJECTIVE

The aim of this course is to lead students to the meaning of knowledge and truth. The

channels of knowledge are the senses - our own and/or those of other people. Philosophers

have doubted the evidence of the senses. The Sun, for instance, is seen to be moving, whereas

it is not really moving; it is we who are moving. Such questions and instances have

compelled philosophers to discuss a great deal about the nature of doubt, certainty, evidence,

truth, about the last of which they have thought out various theories. The Philosophy of

Knowledge, also known as Epistemology, has a special role to play in the Philosophy of

Science, where it examines the nature of ‘scientific’ truth.

Unit 1: General Introduction

The Nature, definition and scope of Epistemology

A Historical Survey of Epistemology

The Importance of Epistemology: The extent of one’s knowledge; Religious truth and the

universality of truth; Necessity of truth

Unit 2: The Sources of Knowledge

Sensation, Percept, Concept, Universal ideas, Judgements, Deduction, Induction and

Testimony

Unit 3: Justification and Certainty

Structure of justification: Foundationalism

Certainty: Kinds of Certitude; problems

Unit 4: Theories of Knowledge

Empiricism, Rationalism, Idealism, Realism, Phenomenalism

Theory of Knowledge in Indian Thought

Scepticism, David Hume’s Scepticism

Unit 5: Truth and Validity of Knowledge

Truth, error and Certitude, Problems of objectivity

Theories of Truth: Correspondence theory, Coherence Theory and pragmatic theory; choice

of a theory

Hermeneutics and Post-Hermeneutic Epistemology

Primary Reference

Ayer, A. J., The Problem of Knowledge, New York: Penguin, 1984

Chrisholm, Roderick M., Theory of Knowledge, New Delhi: Prentice Hall, 1987

Mercier, Jean L., Epistemology and the Problem of Truth, Bangalore: Asian Trading

Corporation, 1998.

Wolfe, David L., Epistemology, Illinois: Inter Varsity Press, 1982.

15

Secondary Reference

Bernecker, Sven and Duncan Pritchard, ed., The Routledge Companion to Epistemology,

Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2010.

Bhat, Govardhan P., The basic Ways of knowing, N. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidas, 1989.

Doren, Charles, A History of Knowledge, New York: Ballantine Books, 1992.

Gallagher Kenneth, Philosophy of Knowledge, New York: Sheed and Ward, 1964.

Hamlyn, D.W., The Theory of Knowledge, London: Macmillan, 1997.

O'Neill, Reginald F., Theories of Knowledge, Englewood: Printeice-Hall, Inc. 1960.

Sanguineti, Juan Jose., Logic and Gnoseology, Bangalore: TPI, 1988.

Sharma, R. N., Problems of Philosophy, Meerut: Kedar Nath.

Steup, Matthias and Ernest Sosa, eds., Contemporary Debates in Epistemology, Malden, MA:

Wiley-Blackwell, 2005.

Therukattil, George, In Quest of Truth: A Study in Philosophy of Knowledge, Bangalore: JIP,

2001.

16


Philosophy of Man


3Hrs/week = 42 Hrs

COURSE OBJECTIVE

This course aims at providing with basic general information concerning the most important

views and theories held in the past about the nature of the human person. In this course we

will concentrate upon various themes: the relation of the body to the soul, soul as one or two,

the power of the soul, soul’s power of knowing and loving, the immortality of the human

person, philosophical demonstration of the human soul. Reflection on these themes will

certainly give the students a better knowledge and understanding of themselves, and

consequently of others. This course could also serve as a good philosophical basis for the

study of psychology.


Introduction to Anthropology, Concept Clarifications, Meaning of Anthropology, definition,

the scope of Anthropology, Classification of Anthropological sciences, main branches of

Anthropology

Unit 2: Approaches to the Study of Human Person

Western Approach to the Study of Human Person: Concept of Life, Sensation, Intellection,

Will, Soul and Body

Eastern Concept of Human Person: Vedic Concept of the Human, Concept of the Human in

Upanishads, Concept of the Human in the Bhagavad Gita, Buddhist and Jaina understanding

of the Human Person, Samkhya understanding of the Human Person

Unit 3: Scientific Anthropology

Physical Anthropology: Man and his origins, Ethnology and Prehistoric Archaeology, the

Question of Evolution

Unit 4: Social and Cultural Anthropology

Cultural anthropology in relation to physical anthropology, Prehistoric development of

culture, Physical type of culture, Habit and culture, Early Society and its Organization, The

Mind of the Primitive, Social Evolution.

Unit 5: Philosophical Anthropology

Introduction, Human life, knowledge, The problem of free-will, Language and

communication, Culture and civilization, Work and art and technology, Self transcendence,

body, soul spirit, person-hood and personality, The mystical dimensions and openness to the

supernatural, Survival after death – Immortality of the Soul

Primary Reference

Mondin, Battista, Philosophical Anthropology, Bangalore: TPI, 1985.

Donceel, J. F., Philosophical Anthropology, New York: Sheed and Ward, 1967.

Sumner, Claude, The Philosophy of Man, Vols. I, II, III, New Delhi: Theological Publications

in India, 1989.

17

Secondary Reference

Adams, William Y., The Philosophical Roots of Anthropology, Stanford, California: CSLI

Publications, 1998.

Aristotle, The complete works of Aristotle, Vols. 1 & 2, Oxford transl., ed. Barnes, Jonathan,

Princeton 1984.

Haeffner, Gerd, The Human Situation: A Philosophical Anthropology, transl. Eric Watkins.

Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 1989.

Kowalczyk, Stanislaw, An Outline of Philosophical Anthropology, Frankfurt am Main, Bern,

New York, Paris: Peter Lang, 1991.

Krapiec, Mieczyslaw A., I-Man: An Outline of Philosophical Anthropology, abridged

version, by Francis J. Lescoe and Roger B. Duncan, New Britain, CT: Mariel Publications,

1983.

Landmann, Michael, Philosophical Anthropology, transl. David J. Parent, Philadelphia: The

Westminster Press, 1974.

Stevenson, Leslie, ed., The Study of Human Nature, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Sumner, Claude, The Philosophy of Man (3 vols.), Addis Ababa: Central Printing Press,

1975.

Therukattil, George, Becoming Human: A Study in Philosophical Anthropology, Bangalore:

JIP, 2000.

Vergote, Antoine, In Search of a Philosophical Anthropology, transl. M.S. Muldoon.

Amsterdam Atlanta, GA: Lueven University Press, 1996.

18

Philosophy - Semester VI – Paper 8

Philosophy of Being


3Hrs/week = 42 Hrs

COURSE OBJECTIVE

The Philosophy of Being, or the First Philosophy, as Aristotle called it, enjoys a most

privileged position among the branches of the tree of knowledge, Indian as well as Western,

since it makes the almost superhuman effort and endeavor to understand being as being.

Practically all other departments of knowledge are concerned with being in one form or

another, but First Philosophy or Metaphysics takes upon itself the challenge of grappling with

the most fundamental and universal challenge of confronting the problem of being as such.

Unit 1: Definition and Nature of Metaphysics

Etymology, Definitions, Names and Scope

Starting point, Fundamental Notions and Principles

Methods

Unit 2: History of Western Metaphysics:

Evolution of Western Metaphysics from Pre-Socratic to Post-modern philosophy

Unit 3: History of Indian Metaphysics:

Evolution of Indian Metaphysics from Vedas through non-Vedic systems to Vedanta

Unit 4: Metaphysical Structure of Being

"Think" and "Thing": Being as Object of Human Intellect

The Scope of the Philosophy of Being

Existence and Essence

Language and Reality: The Aristotelian Categories, the Meaning of “Being”: Substance and

Kinds of Substance: Descartes; Leibniz; Spinoza; Kant

The Accidents

Causation and Causality: Material Causality; Formal Causality; Efficient Causality; Final

Causality; Hume and Kant on causation

Act and Potency: … the operative Level; … the essential level; … the existential level

Unit 5: The Analogy of Being and the Transcendentals

The Analogy of Being: Analogy of Attribution; Analogy of Proportionality

The Transcendentals: Unity, Truth, Goodness, Beauty

Unit 6: Systematic Study of the Text (for Assignment)

Detailed study of the Selected Texts of Aristotle on Categories or Metaphysics

Detailed study of the Selected Texts from the Commentary of Thomas Aquinas on

Metaphysics

Bhagavadgita (any one chapter)

Primary Reference

Alvira, Thomas/ Clavell Luis/ Melendo Tomas, Metaphysics, Manila: Sinac Tala Publishers,

1982.

19

Aristotle, The Complete works of Aristotle 1 & 2, Oxford transl. & ed. Barnes, Jonathan,

Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1984.

Van Steenberghen, Fernand, Ontology, Louvain: Publications Universitaire, 1970.

Secondary Reference

Bogliolo, Luigi, Metaphysics, Bangalore: Theological Publications in India, 1987.

Coreth, Emerich, Metaphysics, New York: Herder and Herder, 1968.

Edwards, Paul, ed., Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Vol. 5 & 6, New York: Macmillan

Publishing Co., Inc. & the Free Press, 1972.

Garrett, Brian, What Is This Thing Called Metaphysics? Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2011.

Hamlyn, D.W., Metaphysics, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995.

Hiriyanna, M., Outlines of Indian Philosophy, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1994.

Kaipayil, Joseph, An Essay on Ontology, Kochi: Karunikan Books, 2008.

Kaipayil, Joseph, Relationalism: A Theory of Being, Bangalore: JIP Publications, 2008.

Kim, Jaegwon & Sosa, Ernest, A Companion to Metaphysics, Cambridge: Blackwell

Publishers Inc, 1995.

Le Poidevin, Robin et al, eds., The Routledge Companion to Metaphysics, Abingdon, Oxon:

Routledge, 2011.

Lonergan, Bernard, Insight, New York: Longmans, 1965.

Owens, Joseph, An Elementary Christian Metaphysics, U.S.A.: Bruce Publishing Company,

1986.

Panthanmackel, George, Coming and Going: An Introduction to Metaphysics from Western

Perspectives, Bangalore: ATC, 1999.

Raju, P. T., Structural Depths of Indian Thought, New Delhi: South Asia Publishers, 1985.

Sider, Theodore et al, eds. Contemporary Debates in Metaphysics, Malden, MA: Wiley-

Blackwell, 2007.

Sinha, Jadunath, Outlines of Indian Philosophy, Calcutta: New Central Books Agency Ltd,

1996.

Thomas de Aquino, Commentary on Aristotle’s Metaphysics, Rowan, John P., transl. Indiana:


Van Inwagen, Peter, Metaphysics, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993.

Vineeth, Francis, Foundations of World Vision: A Guide to Metaphysics, Bangalore:

Dharmaram Publications, 1985.

20


Philosophy of Religion


3Hrs/week = 42 Hrs

COURSE OBJECTIVE

This course critically evaluates the concept of religion and the various concepts arise within a

religion. This course must help students not only to strengthen their own understanding

through their faith, but also to understand and dialogue with others. The course aims at

describing, analyzing and evaluating the role of religion in the life of the human since the

earliest times, to discover by rational interpretation of religion the truth of religious belief

(especially in God) and the value of religious attitudes and practices in human quest for

growth and development.


The legitimacy of philosophical reflection on religion

Shift from ‘Theodicy’ to ‘Philosophy of God’

Objects of Philosophy of God

Philosophy of God and Theology

Nature and Origin of Religion

Method of philosophy of Religion

A Historical over-view of the development of philosophy of religion

Unit 2: Meaning and Reference of the Word ‘God’

Meanings and Meaning – Meaning and Reference – Direct and Indirect Reference – Negative

Way, Positive Way, and Way of Eminence

Meaning of ‘Brahman’

The Question of God in Buddhism and Jainism

Faith and Reason as Two ways to God

Trust in the Ability of Reason

Incapacity of the Reason

Unit 3: Proofs or Arguments for God’s Existence

Pre-Philosophical Arguments

Philosophical Arguments: The Ontological Arguments of Anselm, Descartes, Leibnitz;

The Cosmological Arguments of St. Thomas, Samuel Clarke; The Teleological Arguments of

St. Thomas, William Paley; Moral Argument of Kant

Indian Ways to God

Unit 4: Religious Experience, Religious Language and Symbols

Religious Language

Religious Experience

Via negative, Analogy

Symbols and Myths

Unit 5: The problem of Evil and Atheism

The Problem of Evil: Faith Solutions, Philosophical Motifs, Process Solution, Karma theory

Atheism: Charvaka, August Comte, Friedrich Nietzsche, Albert Camus, Jean Paul Sartre,

21

Unit 6: Some of the Issues Related with the Philosophy of Religion

Religion and Culture; Religion and Secularization; Religion and Sociology; Religion and

Science; Religion and Morality; Religion and Politics; Religion and Economics

Primary Reference

Brightman, Edga, A Philosophy of Religion, New York: Greenwood Press, 1969.

Craig, William Lane, Philosophy of Religion, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Hick, John, Philosophy of Religion, New Delhi: Prentice- Hall, 1988.

Secondary Reference

Allen, Diogenes, and Eric O. Springsted, Philosophy for Understanding Theology, 2nd ed.

Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2007.

Aristotle, The Complete Works of Aristotle 1 & 2, Oxford transl., ed. Barnes, Jonathan,

Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1984.

Bogliolo, Luigi, Rational Theology, Bangalore: TPI, 1987.

Burrell, David B., “Philosophy” in The Blackwell Companion to Modern Theology, edited by

Gareth Jones, 34-46. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2004.

Cahn, Steven M. and David Shatz, eds., Contemporary Philosophy of Religion, New York:


Caputo, John D., Philosophy and Theology, Horizons in Theology, Nashville: Abingdon

Press, 2006.

Davis, Stephen, T. ed., Encountering Evil: Live Options in Theodicy, Atlanta: John Knox

Press, 1981.

De Vries, Hent, “Philosophia Ancilla Theologiae” in Bible and Critical Theory 5, no.3

(2009): 41.1-41.19.

Donceel, J. F., The Searching Mind: An Introduction to the Philosophy of God, London:

Notre Dame Press, 1979.

Dulles, Avery, “Apologetics I: History” in Dictionary of Fundamental Theology, edited by

Rene Latourelle and Rino Fisichella, 28-35, New York: St. Paul’s, 1990.

Evans, Stephen C., Philosophy of Religion: Thinking about Faith, England: Intervarsity

Press, 1982.

Hartshorne, Charles, “A New Look at the Problem of Evil,” in Current Philosophical Issues,

ed., F.C. Dommeyer, Springfield: Charles C. Thomas, 1966.

Hick, John, An Interpretation of Religion: Human Responses to the Transcendent, New

Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1989.

Hick, John, Philosophy of Religion, New York: Prentice-Hall, 1973.

James, William, The Varieties of Religious Experience, New York: Dolphin Books, 1902.

John Paul II, Fides et Ratio, Mumbai: Pauline Publications, 1998.

Kachappilly, Kurian, God-Talk Reconstructed: An Introduction to Philosophy of God,

Bangalore: Dharmaram Publications, 2006.

Mackie, J.L., Miracle of Theism: Arguments for and against the Existence of God, Oxford:

Clarendon Press, 1982.

Palmer, Michael, The Question of God: An Introduction and Source Book, London:

Routledge, 2001.

22

Sparrow, M.R., “The Proofs of Natural Theology and the Unbeliever” in American Catholic

Philosophical Quarterly 65, no. 2 (1991): 129-41.

Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Aristotle’s Metaphysics, transl. Rowan, John P., Indiana:


Whitehead, Alfred N., Religion in the Making, New York: Macmillan, 1926.

23


Ethics


3Hrs/week = 42 Hrs

COURSE OBJECTIVE

This course deals with the nature of moral good and evil. This course enables the students to

see the natural moral law, the mouth-piece of which is a well-formed conscience. While

general ethics introduces students to the general principles of right reason and conduct,

special ethics deals with specific areas of human activity.

Unit 1: Ethics is a normative science of Human Conduct

Definition, Nature, Importance and Scope of Ethics

Relation of Ethics to Philosophy and Religion

Human acts as acts proceeding from man's deliberate freewill

Psychological basis of Ethics

Circumstances that affect man's intellect and will

Man's responsibility for those acts

Unit 2: Historical Over View of Ethics: Western and Indian

Ethics in Greek, Medieval, Modern and Contemporary Philosophy

Ethics in Ancient, Medieval, Modern and Contemporary Indian Philosophy

Unit 3: Moral Order and Moral Values

Existence of Moral Order and Moral Values

Explanations by Moral Positivism, Eudaimonistic, Hedonism, Utilitarianism, Kantian

Categorical Imperative and Indian Ethical theories

Right reason as norm for determining moral values that are rooted in man's Natural law

Radical Situation Ethics is unacceptable.

Unit 4: Conscience

What is Conscience?

Object, Motive and Circumstances

Formation of Conscience

Types of Conscience

Unit 5: Social Ethics

Man as a Social being - His fulfilment is found in society

Rights, Duties and Virtues

Suicide, Euthanasia, Abortion, Violence, Terrorism

Ethics and Marriage: Nature and purpose of marriage and Family

Familial ethics: Contraception; Sterilization; Mercy killing; Abortion and Artificial

insemination.

Indian Social Ethics – the Ethics of Gita

Unit 6: Political Ethics

Political theories - Man and the State

24

Some Politico-ethical problems: Appropriate form of government and its powers (legislative,

executive, judiciary); Welfare of the citizens, Civil laws and taxes; Private property, Labour

and wages

Revolution and Violence; Communism; Punishment

International Ethics: The United Nations (UNO)

International-Ethical Problems: Peace and Co-operation between the nations; Just war;

Industrialization and Ecology- Developed and Underdeveloped nations

Marxist-Communistic Ethics: Exposition and Criticism: i) Dialectical Materialism - Class

struggle and Revolution, - Stateless and Classless society; ii) Super-Structures of State,

Religion and Morality; Socialism

Primary Reference

Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, transl. J.A.K. Thomason, Baltimore, Maryland: Penguin

Books, 1955.

Cooper, David E., Ethics: The Classic Readings, Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1998.

Mackenzie, John S., A Manual of Ethics, New York: Cosimo, 2005.

Mackenzie, John S., Hindu Ethics: A Historical and Critical Survey, H. Milford: Oxford


Secondary Reference

Beauchamp, Tom L., Philosophical Ethics: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy, New York:

McGraw-Hill Company, 1982.

Bourke, Vernon J., Ethics, New York: The Macmillan Company, 1967.

Brittle, Celestine N., Man and Morals, Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1950.

Composta, Dario, Moral Philosophy and Social Ethics, Bangalore: TPI, 1988.

Cahn, Steven M. and Peter Markie, ed., Ethics: History, Theory, and Contemporary Issues,

Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Chackalackal, Saju, Unity of knowing and Acting in Kant, Bangalore: Dharmaram

Publications, 2002.

Finnis, John, Fundamentals of Ethics, Oxford: Oxford Clarendon Press, 1983.

Foot, Philippa, Theories of Ethics, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1967.

Kant, Immanuel, Critique of Practical Reason, transl. Lewis White Beck, Indianapolis:

Bobbs-Merril, 1956.

Kant, Immanuel, Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals, transl. Lewis White Beck,

Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merril, 1959.

Freeman, J. Stephen, Ethics: An Introduction to Philosophy and Practice, U.K.: Wads worth

Thomson, 2000.

Pazhayampalli, Thomas, Pastoral Guide, Krist Jyothi Publications, 1997.

Sharma, Ram, Outline of Ethics, Meerut, 1963.

Singer, Peter, ed., A Companion to Ethics, Oxford: Blackwell, 1993.

Thiroux, Jaques, Ethics: Theory and Practice, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1995.

Callahn, Joan C. ed., Ethical Issues in Professional Life, New York: Oxford University Press,

1988.

25

Mappes, Thomas A. and Zembatty, Jane S., Social Ethics, Morality and Social Policy, New

York: McGraw-hill Inc., 1992.

philosophy · 7 philosophy - semester iii – paper 3 indian philosophy: vedic and non-vedic...

Documents