Bimal K. Matilal's Philosophy: Language, Realism, Dharma, and Ineffability
Journal: RUDN Journal of Philosophy (Vol.25, No. 2)Publication Date: 2021-06-17
Authors : Purushottama Bilimoria;
Page : 250-259
Keywords : Bimal K. Matilal; Indian logic; Nyāya-realism; dharma; moral dilemma; theodicy; evil and ineffability doctrine;
Abstract
The article considers the theoretical and practical consequences of the so-called "soft" version of epistemological realism in Bimal K. Matilal's philosophical project. The author offers an analytical view on Matilal's philosophy, which helps to understand it in a broader prospective, comparing his arguments on perception and objectivity with contemporary arguments in Western analytical philosophy; in fact, it is possible to view Matilal not only as the proponent of revised Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika approach, but also as the follower of realistic view on language, following L. Wittgenstein, W. Quine, H. Putnam and M. Dummett. Despite the fact that such interpretation may sound diverse or multivocal, it nevertheless helps to better understand both lineages of argumentation: the critical review of the impossibility of private language can be compared in both Western and Indian philosophical discourses, which leads into the domain of social epistemology. The second part of the article discusses the ethical arguments on the vulnerability of moral virtues, and the place of Dharma as a term in moral philosophy. Poetical and metaphorical language appears to be a fruitful strategy to discover the ineffable - and also via negativa and catuṣkoṭi - which is shown by Matilal on the example of the unacceptability of lying. The ethical ineffability and its interconnection with Matilal's commentaries on practical wisdom play the crucial part in the interpretations of Dharmaśāstra texts.
Other Latest Articles
- Al-Ghazali's Image in Al-Jabri's works
- Landmarks from the Heritage of the Moroccan Thinker, Mohamed Abed Al-Jabri
- Abdalla Al-Nadeem, Pioneer of Patriotism and Civilization in the Modern Egyptian Thought
- Mansour Fahmy, Pioneer of Islamic Feminism in Modern Egyptian Thought
- Contemporary Philosophy of the East: Tradition and Innovations
Last modified: 2021-06-17 04:50:23