Vinoba bhave university, hazaribag university department of philosophy

VINOBA BHAVE UNIVERSITY, HAZARIBAG

UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY

PROPOSED

CBCS SYLLABUS FOR BACHELOR OF ARTS (Major and Minor)

Semester System

B. A. PHILOSOPHY (MAJOR)

There shall be six semesters during three years (From B. A. Part I to B. A. Part III) and there shall be 2 papers in first and 2 papers in second semester. In the third and fourth semesters there will be 3 papers in each semester. In the last two semesters i.e. Semester 5 and 6 there shall be four papers in each semester. In the fifth semester 2 papers will be elective. Similarly, in the sixth semester 2 papers will be elective. The total number of papers will be 18.

Paper – I

Ancient Indian Philosophy

Marks 80+20 Semester-I Core Paper.

Students are required to answer five questions out of eight.

1. 
   Nature of Indian Philosophy: plurality as well as common concerns.
   

Atman: jagrt, svapna, susupti, turiya; Brahman; sreyas; preyas; karma; samsara; mukti.

2. 
   Carvaka school: its epistemology, metaphysics and ethics.
   
3. 
   Jainism: Concepts of sat, dravya, guna, paryaya, jiva; anekantavada, syadvada and nayavada; pramanas; ahimsa; bondage and liberation.
   
4. 
   Buddhism: theory of pramanas
   

Theory of dependent origination; the Four Noble Truths; doctrine of momentariness; theory of No-Soul.

The interpretation of these theories in schools of Buddhism: Vaibhasika, Sautrantika, Yogacara, Madhyamika.

5. 
   Nyaya: theory of pramanas; the individual self and its liberation; the idea of God and proofs for His existence.
   
6. 
   Vaisesika: padarthas: dravya, guna, karma, samanya, visesa, abhava; causation: asatkaryavada; karana: samavayi, asamvayi, nimitta; paramanuvada; adrsta; nihsreyasam.
   
7. 
   Sankhya: causation: satkaryavada; prakrti : its constituents, evolutes and arguments for its existence; purusa: arguments for its existence; plurality of purusas; relationship between prakrti and purusa; kaivalya; atheism.
   
8. 
   Yoga: Yoga; citta and citta-vrtti; eightfold path; God.
   
9. 
   Purava Mimamsa: Sruti and its importance; classification of Sruti vakyas: vidhi, nisedha, arthavada; dharma; bhavana; sabdanityatvavada; jatisaktivada; atheism.
   

The debates between Kaumarilas and Prabhakaras: triputisamvit, jnatata, abhava, anupalabdhi, anvitabhidanavada, abhihitanvayavada.

10. 
    Advaita: nirguna Brahman; adhyasa; rejection of difference; vivartavada; maya; three
    

grades of satta; pramanas; jiva; jivanmukti.

11. 
    Visistadvaita: Saguna Brahman; refutation of maya; parinamavada; aprthaksiddhi; jiva; bhakti and prapatti; rejection of jivanmukti.
    

SUGGESTED READINGS:

M. Hiriyanna : Outlines of Indian Philosophy.

C. D. Sharma : A Critical Survey of Indian Philosophy.

S. N. Dasgupta : A History of Indian Philosophy, Vol. I to V

S. Radhakrishnan : Indian Philosophy, Vols. I & II

T. R. V. Murti : Central Philosophy of Buddhism.

J. N. Mohanty : Reason and Tradition in Indian Thought.

R. D. Ranade : A Constructive Survey of Upanisadic Philosophy.

P. T. Raju : Structural Depths of Indian Thought.

K. C. Bhattacharya : Studies in Philosophy, Vol. I

Datta and Chatterjee : Introduction to Indian Philosophy

A.K. Warder : Indian Buddhism.

R. Puligandla : Fundamentals of Indian Philosophy.

T. M. P. Mahadevan : An Outline of Hinduism.

Paper - II

ANCIENT GREEK PHILOSOPHY

Marks: 80+20 Semester-I Core Paper.

Students are required to answer five questions out of eight.

1. 
   Milesians: Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes.
   
2. 
   Pythagoras and Pythagoreans.
   
3. 
   Heraclitus.
   
4. 
   Eleatics: Xenophanes as the precursor of Eleatic philosophy; Parmenides, Zeno & Melissus
   
5. 
   Empedocles.
   
6. 
   Anaxagoras
   
7. 
   The Atomists: Atomism of Leucippus and Democritus.
   
8. 
   The Sophists: Protagoras and Gorgias.
   
9. 
   Socrates: Epistemology & Ethics.
   
10. 
    Plato: Theory of Ideas.
    
11. 
    Aristotle: Metaphysics & the Conception of Cause.
    

SUGGESTED READINGS:

F. Copleston : A History of Philosophy, Vol. I

J. Burnet : Early Greek Philosophy.

J. Burnet : Greek Philosophy: Thales to Plato

W. T. Stace : A Critical History of Greek Philosophy.

W. K. C. Guthrie : History of Greek Philosophy, Vols. I, II & III.

Kirk, Raven & Schofield : The pre-Socratic Philosopher.

Theodore Gomperz : The Greek Thinkers: A History of Ancient Philosophy, 4 Vols.

A.E. Taylor : Plato: The Man and his Work.

W. D. Ross : Aristotle.

Crombie : An Examination of Plato’s Doctrines.

Paper - III

EPISTEMOLOGY AND METAPHYSICS

(Indian)

Marks : 80+20 Semester-II Core Paper.

Students are required to answer five questions out of eight.

Part I : EPISTEMOLOGY

1. 
   Nature of Cognition: valid and invalid cognitions.
   
2. 
   Prama.
   
3. 
   Pramana: definitions and varieties.
   
4. 
   Pramanya: origin and ascertainment.
   
5. 
   Pramanasamplava and Pramanavyastha.
   
6. 
   Theories concerning sense organs and their objects.
   
7. 
   Theories of perceptual error (Khyativada)
   

Part II : METAPHYSICS

1. 
   Prameya and padartha; kinds of Padartha accepted by different schools.
   
2. 
   Substance and process: the debate between Buddhists and non-Buddhists.
   
3. 
   Causality: arambhavada, parinamavada, vivartavada, pratitya samutpadavada
   
4. 
   Universals: the Nyaya-Buddhist debate.
   
5. 
   Abhava.
   
6. 
   Special padarthas: visesa, samavaya.
   
7. 
   The Self.
   

SUGGESTED READINGS:

Swami Satprakasananda : The Methods of Knowledge.

D. M. Datta : The Six Ways of Knowing.

S. Chatterjee : The Nyaya Theory of Knowledge.

Srinivasa Rao : Perceptual Error: The Indian Theories.

S. K. Maitra : Fundamental Questions of Indian Metaphysics and Logic.

Sarasvati Chennakesavan : Concepts of Indian Philosophy.

S. Radhakrishnan : Indian Philosophy, Vols. I & II.

Satkari Mukherjee : The Buddhist Philosophy of Flux.

S. Kuppuswami Sastri : The Primer of Indian Logic.

Jadunath Sinha : Indian Realism.

P. K. Mukhopadhyaya : Indian Realism.

Dharmendra Nath Sastri : Critique of Indian Realism.

Kedarnath Tiwari : Bhartiya Tarkashastra Parichaya.

Paper – IV

LOGIC (Indian)

Marks : 80+20 Semester-II Core Paper.

Students are required to answer five out of eight questions.

1. 
   Theories of Inference in Nyaya, Buddhism and Jainism: definition, constituents, process and types; paksata; paramarsa; vyaptigrahopaya; hetvabhasa.
   

SUGGESTED READINGS:

Annambhatta : Tarkasangraha

Dharmakirti : Nyayabindu

Yasovijaya : Jaina Tarka Bhasa

S. S. Barligay : A Modern Introduction to Indian Logic

B. K. Matilal : Logic, Language and Reality

S. K. Maitra : Fundamental Questions of Indian Metaphysics and Logic

F. Th. Stcherbatsky : Buddhist Logic, Vol. I & II

C. Bhattacharya : Elements of Indian Logic and Epistemology

S. Chatterjee : Nyaya Theory of Knowledge

R. Prasad : Buddhist Logic

Paper -V

EPISTEMOLOGY AND METAPHYSICS

(Western)

Marks : 80+20 Semester-III Core Paper.

Students are required to answer five questions out of eight.

Part – I : EPISTEMOLOGY

1. 
   Knowledge: definition and kinds; different uses of the word ‘know’; propositional and non-propositional knowledge; knowing how and knowing that; knowledge by acquaintance and knowledge by description; necessary and sufficient conditions of propositional knowledge.
   
2. 
   Scepticism and justification of knowledge-claims; truth, belief, justification; philosophical skepticism; foundationalism and coherentism.
   
3. 
   Theories of Knowledge: rationalism, empiricism, Kantian theory.
   
4. 
   Apriori knowledge: a priori and a posteriori; types of a priori; analytic and synthetic; the problem of synthetic a priori.
   
5. 
   Theories of truth: correspondence; coherence; pragmatic.
   

Part – II : METAPHYSICS

1. 
   Metaphysics: its nature, necessity and methods.
   
2. 
   Substance and property.
   
3. 
   Idealism; materialism; dualism; neutralism; monism; pluralism.
   
4. 
   Space and Time.
   
5. 
   Causality.
   
6. 
   Mind-body relation.
   
7. 
   Freedom and Determinism.
   

SUGGESTED READINGS:

John Hospers : An Introduction to Philosophical Analysis.

A. J. Ayer : The Central Questions of Philosophy.

Bertrand Russell : The Problems of Philosophy.

A. D. Woozley : Theory of Knowledge.

Gilbert Ryle : The Concept of Mind (relevant chapters).

H. W. Walsh : Reason and Experience.

D. W. Hamlyn : Theory of Knowledge.

D. W. Hamlyn : Metaphysics.

Richard Taylor : Metaphysics.

Edwards & Pap (Eds.) : A Modern Introduction to Philosophy.

L. Pojman : Introduction to Philosophy.

Paper – VI

LOGIC (Western)

Marks : 80+20 Semester-III Core Paper.

Students are required to answer five out of eight questions.

1. 
   Sentence and proposition; logical form.
   
2. 
   Definition.
   
3. 
   Division, division by dichotomy.
   
4. 
   Aristotelian classification of propositions; Categorical, Hypothetical and Disjunctive Propositions.
   
5. 
   Laws of Thought.
   
6. 
   Aristotelian classification of Categorical Propositions; square of opposition; conversion, obversion, contraposition, inversion.
   
7. 
   Categorical Syllogism: figures and moods; rules of validity; mixed syllogism; fallacies.
   
8. 
   Boolean interpretation of propositions; Venn diagram technique of testing the validity of syllogisms.
   
9. 
   Truth-functions: negation, conjunction, disjunction, implication, equivalence.
   
10. 
    Argument and argument-forms; decision procedures; truth-tables; reductio ad absurdum; normal forms.
    
11. 
    Technique of symbolization; proof construction: direct, indirect.
    
12. 
    Induction; analogy; Mill’s methods of experimental enquiry; scientific hypothesis.
    

SUGGESTED READINGS:

Irwin M. Copi : Introduction to Logic (Sixth edition).

Basson, A. H. & O’Connor, D. J. : Introduction to Symbolic Logic.

L. Susan Stebbing : A Modern Introduction to Logic.

H. Kyburg Jr. : Probability and Induction.

W. V. Quine : Methods of Logic.

Richard Jeffrey : Formal Logic: Its Scope and Limits.

W. Kneale : Probability and Induction.

Cohen and Nagel : Logic and Scientific Method.

Paper - VII

CLASSICAL TEXT

Marks : 80+20 Semester-III Core Paper.

Students are required to answer five out of eight questions.

CLASSICAL INDIAN TEXT

1. 
   Bhagavad Gita
   

Paper - VIII

ETHICS (Indian and Western)

Marks : 80+20 Semester-IV Core Paper

Students are required to answer five out of eight questions.

PART I : INDIAN ETHICS

1. 
   Introduction: concerns and presuppositions; theory of karma.
   
2. 
   Dharma: its meaning, definition, classification; vidhi, nisedha, arthavada.
   
3. 
   Niskama karma.
   
4. 
   Purusarthas and their inter-relations; purusartha sadhana.
   
5. 
   Buddhist ethics: the Four Noble Truths.
   
6. 
   Jaina ethics: anuvratas and mahavratas.
   

PART II : WESTERN ETHICS

1. 
   Introduction: concerns and presuppositions; free will.
   
2. 
   Teleological ethics: egoism; hedonism; utilitarianism.
   
3. 
   Deontological ethics: Kant.
   
4. 
   Intuitionism.
   
5. 
   Virtue ethics: Plato and Aristotle.
   
6. 
   Theories of Punishment.
   

SUGGESTED READINGS:

I. C. Sharma : Ethical Philosophies of India.

S. K. Maitra : The Ethics of the Hindus.

Surama Dasgupta : Development of Moral Philosophy in India.

M. Hiriyanna : The Indian Conception of Values.

P. V. Kane : The History of the Dharmasastras, Vol. I.

W. Frankena : Ethics.

W. Lillie : An Introduction to Ethics.

J. D. Mabbott : Introduction to Ethics.

J. Hospers : Human Conduct.

Rosalind Hursthorne : Virtue Ethics.

Kant : Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals.

J. S. Mill : Utilitarianism.

W. D. Hudson : Modern Moral Philosophy.

Philippa Foot (Ed) : Theories of Ethics.

Paper - IX

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

Marks : 80+20 Semester-IV Core Paper

Students are required to answer five out of eight questions.

1. 
   Social and political philosophy: scope and concerns
   
2. 
   Individual, society, state and nation
   
3. 
   Political ideologies: democracy, socialism, fascism, theocracy, communism, anarchism, sarvodaya
   
4. 
   Sovereignty, power and authority
   
5. 
   Political ideals: liberty, equality and justice
   
6. 
   Rights and interests
   
7. 
   Political obligation
   
8. 
   Political action: constitutionalism, revolutionism, terrorism, satyagraha.
   

SUGGESTED READINGS:

Robert N. Beck : Handbook in Social Philosophy

J. Fierg : Social Philosophy

W. E. Moore : Social Change

N. V. Joshi : Social and Political Philosophy

A. K. Sinha : Outlines of Social Philosophy

D. D. Raphael : Problems of Political Philosophy

M. K. Gandhi : Hind Swaraj

K. G. Mashruwalla : Gandhi and Marx

T. S. Devadoss : Sarvodaya and the Problem of Political Sovereignty

K. Roy & C. Gupta (Eds): Essays in Social and Political Philosophy

Peter Singer : Practical Ethics

Rosemarie Tong : Feminist Thought: A Comprehensive Introduction

Mary Evans : Introducing Contemporary Feminist Thought

S. I. Benn & R. S. Peters: Social Principles and the Democratic State

Leo Strauss : What is Political Philosophy

Paper - X

CONTEMPORARY WESTERN PHILOSOPHY

Marks : 80+20 Semester-IV Core Paper

Students are required to answer five out of eight questions.

1. 
   G. W. F. Hegel: Dialectic and the conception of the Absolute.
   
2. 
   F. H. Bradley: Appearance and Reality, Degrees of Truth and Reality, Coherence.
   
3. 
   C. S. Peirce: The Fixation of Belief & How to Make Our Ideas Clear.
   
4. 
   William James: Pragmatism, Will to Believe and Free Will.
   
5. 
   H. Bergson: Creativity, Duration, Intuition and elan vital.
   
6. 
   Early Wittgenstein: Tractatus Logico-philosophicus.
   

SUGGESTED READINGS:

Hegel, G. W. F. : The Phenomenology of Spirit.

Hegel, G. W. F. : The Science of Logic.

Bradley, F. H. : Appearance and Reality.

Bradley, F. H. : Essays on Truth and Reality.

Bosanquet, B. : Knowledge and Reality: Criticism of Mr. F. H. Bradley’s Principles of Logic.

Bosanquet, B. : The Essentials of Logic.

Bosanquet, B. : Principle of Individuality and Value.

Bosanquet, B. : Value and Destiny of the Individual.

Peirce, C. S. : How to make our ideas clear.

Peirce, C. S. : The Fixation of Belief.

James, W. : The Will to Believe and other essays.

James, W. : Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking.

James, W. : Essays in Radical Empiricism.

Bergson, H. : Creative Evolution.

Wittgenstein, L. : Tractatus Logico-philosophicus.

Paper - XI

HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY

Marks : 80+20 Semester-V Core Paper

Students are required to answer five questions out of eight.

1. 
   Plato: Theory of knowledge; knowledge (episteme) and opinion (doxa).
   
2. 
   Aristotle: Critique of Plato’s theory of Forms; theory of causation; form and matter; potentiality and actuality; soul; God.
   
3. 
   St. Thomas Aquinas: Faith and reason; essence and existence; proofs for the existence of God.
   
4. 
   Descartes: Method and the need for method in philosophy; method of doubt; cogito ergo sum; types of ideas; mind and matter; mind-body interaction; God: proofs for His existence.
   
5. 
   Spinoza: Substance, attributes and modes; the concept of ‘God or Nature’; pantheism; mind-body problem.
   
6. 
   Leibnitz: Monadology; doctrine of pre-established harmony; truths of reason and truths of fact; God: nature and proofs for His existence.
   
7. 
   Locke: Ideas and their classification; refutation of innate ideas; substance; qualities: primary and secondary.
   
8. 
   Berkeley: Rejection of abstract ideas; rejection of the distinction between primary and secondary qualities; esse est percipiw.
   
9. 
   Hume: Impressions and ideas; judgments concerning relations of ideas and judgments concerning matters of fact; external world; self and personal identity; rejection of metaphysics; scepticism.
   
10. 
    Kant: Conception of critical philosophy; synthetic a priori judgments; space and time; the forms of sensibility; categories of the understanding: phenomena and noumena.
    

SUGGESTED READINGS:

F. Copleston : A History of Philosophy.

D. J. O’Connor : A Critical History of Western Philosophy.

B. Russell : History of Western Philosophy.

C. R. Morris : Locke, Berkeley and Hume.

A. K. Rogers : A Student’s History of Philosophy.

W. K. Wright : A History of Modern Philosophy.

S. Korner : Kant.

W. T. Stace : A Critical History of Greek Philosophy.

Roger Scruton : A History of Philosophy from Descartes to Wittgenstein.

Jonathan Bennet : Locke, Berkeley, Hume.

John Cottingham : The Rationalists.

Paper - XII

EMERGING TRENDS OF THOUGHT

Marks : 80+20 Semester-V Core Paper

Students are required to answer five out of eight questions.

The candidate may choose any three of the following topics:

1. Feminism

2. Eco-philosophy

3. Dalit ideology

4. Religious fundamentalism

5. Peace studies

6. Humanism

Paper - XIII

MODERN INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

Marks : 80+20 Semester-VI Core Paper

Students are required to answer five questions out of eight.

1. 
   Swami Vivekananda: Universal religion, practical Vedanta.
   
2. 
   Sri Aurobindo: Reality as ‘sat-chit-ananda’, evolution; mind and supermind.
   
3. 
   Mohammad Iqbal: Intellect and intuition, self.
   
4. 
   Ravindranath Tagore: Man and God, religion of man.
   
5. 
   S. Radhakrishnan: Intellect and intuition, the idealist view of life.
   
6. 
   Vinoba Bhave: Bhoodan Andolan.
   
7. 
   M. K. Gandhi: Truth, non-violence, sarvodaya.
   
8. 
   B. R. Ambedkar: Neo-Buddhism.
   

SUGGESTED READINGS:

Basant Kumar Lal: Contemporary Indian Philosophy, Delhi,1999.

T. M. P. Mahadevan & C. V. Saroja: Contemporary Indian Philosophy, Madras, 1985.

Benay Gopal Ray: Contemporary Indian Philosophers, Allahabad, 1957.

V. S. Naravane: Modern Indian Thought, Bombay, 1964.

Swami Vivekananda: Practical Vedanta, Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1964.

Sri Aurobindo: Integral Yoga, Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashrama, 1972.

Sri Aurobindo: The Life Divine, Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashrama.

M. Iqbal: Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, Lahore: Ashraf, 1980.

R. Tagore: Religion of Man, London: Unwin Books, 1961.

Radhakrishnan & Muirhead(Eds): Contemporary Indian Philosophy, George Allen & Unwin, 1958.

K. C. Bhattacharya: Studies in Philosophy, Delhi, Motilal Banarsidas, 1983.

S. Radhakrishnan: An Idealist View of Life, London, George Allen & Unwin, 1957.

Mahatma Gandhi: Hind Swaraj, New Delhi: Publications Division, 1993.

A.R. Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches, Vol. I, Bombay: Education Dept. Govt. of Maharashtra, 1979.

Dada Dharmadhikari: Sarvodaya Darshan, Sarva-Seva-Sangha Prakashan, Varanasi.

Paper - XIV

CLASSICAL TEXT

Marks : 80+20 Semester-VI Core Paper

Students are required to answer five out of eight questions.

CLASSICAL WESTERN TEXT

1. 
   The Republic (by Plato).
   

Paper - XV

PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION

Marks : 80+20 Semester-V Discipline Specific Elective Paper

Students are required to answer five out of eight questions.

1. 
   Philosophy of Religion: nature and concerns
   
2. 
   Arguments for the existence of God: Indian and Western
   
3. 
   Reason and Faith; jnana and bhakti
   
4. 
   Religious pluralism
   
5. 
   Religious experience
   

SUGGESTED READINGS:

Brian Davies : An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion

James Churchill & David V. Jones : An Introductory Reader in the Philosophy of Religion

John Hick : Philosophy of Religion

D. A. Trueblood : Philosophy of Religion

Chemparathy : Indian Rational Theology (This book contains an English

translation of Udayana’s Nyayakusumanjali )

John Hick (Ed) : Classical and Contemporary Readings in Philosophy of Religion

D. M. Edwards : The Philosophy of Religion

N. K. Brahma : Philosophy of Hindu Sadhana

S. Radhakrishnan : The Idealist View of Life

S. Radhakrishnan : The Hindu View of Life

G. Galloway : The Philosophy of Religion

Paper - XVI

COMPARATIVE RELIGION

Marks : 80+20 Semester-V Discipline Specific Elective Paper

Students are required to answer five out of eight questions.

Candidates are expected to be familiar with the main tenets and practices of the following

groups of religions:

Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism & Judaism.

1. 
   Problems and methods in the study of religions: nature, necessity and scope of comparative religion.
   
2. 
   Possibility of and the need for comparative religion: commonality and difference among religions: the nature of inter-religious dialogue and understanding.
   
3. 
   Religious experience in different religions.
   
4. 
   Modes of understanding the Divine; conflicting truth-claims of different religions.
   
5. 
   Death, rebirth, liberation and its means.
   
6. 
   God-man relation in religions: world views in religions.
   
7. 
   Immortality; incarnation; prophet-hood.
   
8. 
   Religion and moral and social values: religion and secular society: possibility of universal religion.
   

SUGGESTED READINGS:

Eric J. Sharpe : Comparative Religion, Duckworth, 1976.

W. C. Smith : The Meaning and End of Religions, Fortress Press, 1990.

A. C. Bouquet : Comparative Religion, Penguin Books, 1971.

S. Radhakrishnan : Eastern Religion and Western Thought, Delhi, OUP, 1983.

----------------------- : East and West: Some Reflections, George Allen & Unwin, 1955.

----------------------- : Indian Religions, Vision Books, Delhi, 1985.

H. D. Bhattacharya : Foundations of Living Faiths.

N. K. Devaraja : Hinduism and Christianity.

John Hick : An Interpretation of Religion.

Paper - XVII

CLASSICAL TEXT

Marks : 80+20 Semester-VI Discipline Specific Elective Paper

Students are required to answer five out of eight questions.

CLASSICAL INDIAN TEXT

1. 
   Dhammapada
   

Paper - XVIII

CLASSICAL TEXT

Marks : 80+20 Semester-VI Discipline Specific Elective Paper

Students are required to answer five out of eight questions.

CLASSICAL WESTERN TEXT

1. 
   The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell.
   

VINOBA BHAVE UNIVERSITY, HAZARIBAG

UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY

PROPOSED

CBCS SYLLABUS FOR BACHELOR OF ARTS (Minor)

Semester System

Generic Elective Paper – I

Ancient Indian Philosophy

Marks 80+20

Students are required to answer five questions out of eight.

1. 
   Nature of Indian Philosophy.
   
2. 
   Carvaka school: its epistemology, metaphysics and ethics.
   
3. 
   Jainism: Concepts of sat, dravya, guna, paryaya, jiva; anekantavada, syadvada and nayavada; pramanas; ahimsa; bondage and liberation.
   
4. 
   Buddhism: theory of pramanas. Theory of dependent origination; the Four Noble Truths; doctrine of momentariness; theory of No-Soul. The interpretation of these theories in schools of Buddhism: Vaibhasika, Sautrantika, Yogacara, Madhyamika.
   
5. 
   Nyaya: theory of pramanas; the individual self and its liberation; the idea of God and proofs for His existence.
   
6. 
   Vaisesika: padarthas: dravya, guna, karma, samanya, visesa, abhava; causation: asatkaryavada; karana: samavayi, asamvayi, nimitta; paramanuvada; adrsta; nihsreyasam.
   
7. 
   Sankhya: causation: satkaryavada; prakrti : its constituents, evolutes and arguments for its existence; purusa: arguments for its existence; plurality of purusas; relationship between prakrti and purusa; kaivalya; atheism.
   
8. 
   Yoga: Yoga; citta and citta-vrtti; eightfold path; God.
   
9. 
   Purva Mimamsa: Sruti and its importance; classification of Sruti vakyas: vidhi, nisedha, arthavada; dharma; bhavana; sabdanityatvavada; jatisaktivada; atheism. The debates between Kaumarilas and Prabhakaras: triputisamvit, jnatata, abhava, anupalabdhi, anvitabhidanavada, abhihitanvayavada.
   
10. 
    Advaita: nirguna Brahman; adhyasa; rejection of difference; vivartavada; maya; three grades of satta; pramanas; jiva; jivanmukti.
    
11. 
    Visistadvaita: Saguna Brahman; refutation of maya; parinamavada; aprthaksiddhi; jiva; bhakti and prapatti; rejection of jivanmukti.
    

SUGGESTED READINGS:

M. Hiriyanna : Outlines of Indian Philosophy.

C. D. Sharma : A Critical Survey of Indian Philosophy.

S. N. Dasgupta : A History of Indian Philosophy, Vol. I to V

S. Radhakrishnan : Indian Philosophy, Vols. I & II

T. R. V. Murti : Central Philosophy of Buddhism.

J. N. Mohanty : Reason and Tradition in Indian Thought.

R. D. Ranade : A Constructive Survey of Upanisadic Philosophy.

P. T. Raju : Structural Depths of Indian Thought.

K. C. Bhattacharya : Studies in Philosophy, Vol. I

Datta and Chatterjee : Introduction to Indian Philosophy

A.K. Warder : Indian Buddhism.

R. Puligandla : Fundamentals of Indian Philosophy.

T. M. P. Mahadevan : An Outline of Hinduism.

Generic Elective Paper-II

EPISTEMOLOGY AND METAPHYSICS

(Indian)

Marks : 80+20.

Students are required to answer five questions out of eight.

Part I : EPISTEMOLOGY

1. 
   Nature of Cognition: valid and invalid cognitions.
   
2. 
   Prama.
   
3. 
   Pramana: definitions and varieties.
   
4. 
   Pramanya: origin and ascertainment.
   
5. 
   Pramanasamplava and Pramanavyastha.
   
6. 
   Theories concerning sense organs and their objects.
   
7. 
   Theories of perceptual error (Khyativada)
   

Part II : METAPHYSICS

1. 
   Prameya and padartha; kinds of Padartha accepted by different schools.
   
2. 
   Substance and process: the debate between Buddhists and non-Buddhists.
   
3. 
   Causality: arambhavada, parinamavada, vivartavada, pratitya samutpadavada
   
4. 
   Universals: the Nyaya-Buddhist debate.
   
5. 
   Abhava.
   
6. 
   Special padarthas: visesa, samavaya.
   
7. 
   The Self.
   

SUGGESTED READINGS:

Swami Satprakasananda : The Methods of Knowledge.

D. M. Datta : The Six Ways of Knowing.

S. Chatterjee : The Nyaya Theory of Knowledge.

Srinivasa Rao : Perceptual Error: The Indian Theories.

S. K. Maitra : Fundamental Questions of Indian Metaphysics and Logic.

Sarasvati Chennakesavan : Concepts of Indian Philosophy.

S. Radhakrishnan : Indian Philosophy, Vols. I & II.

Satkari Mukherjee : The Buddhist Philosophy of Flux.

S. Kuppuswami Sastri : The Primer of Indian Logic.

Jadunath Sinha : Indian Realism.

P. K. Mukhopadhyaya : Indian Realism.

Dharmendra Nath Sastri : Critique of Indian Realism.

Kedarnath Tiwari : Bhartiya Tarkashastra Parichaya.

Generic Elective Paper-III

EPISTEMOLOGY AND METAPHYSICS

(Western)

Marks : 80+20

Students are required to answer five questions out of eight.

Part – I : EPISTEMOLOGY

1. 
   Knowledge: definition and kinds; different uses of the word ‘know’; propositional and non-propositional knowledge; knowing how and knowing that; knowledge by acquaintance and knowledge by description; necessary and sufficient conditions of propositional knowledge.
   
2. 
   Scepticism and justification of knowledge-claims; truth, belief, justification; philosophical skepticism; foundationalism and coherentism.
   
3. 
   Theories of Knowledge: rationalism, empiricism, Kantian theory. Apriori knowledge: a priori and a posteriori; types of a priori; analytic and synthetic; the problem of synthetic a priori.
   
4. 
   Theories of truth: correspondence; coherence; pragmatic.
   

Part – II : METAPHYSICS

1. 
   Metaphysics: its nature, necessity and methods.
   
2. 
   Substance and property.
   
3. 
   Idealism; materialism; dualism; neutralism; monism; pluralism.
   
4. 
   Space and Time.
   
5. 
   Causality.
   
6. 
   Mind-body relation.
   
7. 
   Freedom and Determinism.
   

SUGGESTED READINGS:

John Hospers : An Introduction to Philosophical Analysis.

A. J. Ayer : The Central Questions of Philosophy.

Bertrand Russell : The Problems of Philosophy.

A. D. Woozley : Theory of Knowledge.

Gilbert Ryle : The Concept of Mind (relevant chapters).

H. W. Walsh : Reason and Experience.

D. W. Hamlyn : Theory of Knowledge.

D. W. Hamlyn : Metaphysics.

Richard Taylor : Metaphysics.

Edwards & Pap (Eds.) : A Modern Introduction to Philosophy.

L. Pojman : Introduction to Philosophy.

Generic Elective Paper- IV

ETHICS (Indian and Western)

Marks : 80+20.

Students are required to answer five out of eight questions.

PART I : INDIAN ETHICS

1. 
   Introduction: concerns and presuppositions; theory of karma.
   
2. 
   Dharma: its meaning, definition, classification; vidhi, nisedha, arthavada.
   
3. 
   Niskama karma.
   
4. 
   Purusarthas and their inter-relations; purusartha sadhana.
   
5. 
   Buddhist ethics: the Four Noble Truths.
   
6. 
   Jaina ethics: anuvratas and mahavratas.
   

PART II : WESTERN ETHICS

1. 
   Introduction: concerns and presuppositions; free will.
   
2. 
   Teleological ethics: egoism; hedonism; utilitarianism.
   
3. 
   Deontological ethics: Kant.
   
4. 
   Intuitionism.
   
5. 
   Virtue ethics: Plato and Aristotle.
   
6. 
   Theories of Punishment.
   

SUGGESTED READINGS:

I. C. Sharma : Ethical Philosophies of India.

S. K. Maitra : The Ethics of the Hindus.

Surama Dasgupta : Development of Moral Philosophy in India.

M. Hiriyanna : The Indian Conception of Values.

P. V. Kane : The History of the Dharmasastras, Vol. I.

W. Frankena : Ethics.

W. Lillie : An Introduction to Ethics.

J. D. Mabbott : Introduction to Ethics.

J. Hospers : Human Conduct.

Rosalind Hursthorne : Virtue Ethics.

Kant : Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals.

J. S. Mill : Utilitarianism.

W. D. Hudson : Modern Moral Philosophy.

Philippa Foot (Ed) : Theories of Ethics.

R. M. Hare : The Language of Morals.

H. J. Paton : The Moral Law.

Plato : Charmides and Protagoras.

Aristotle : Nichomachean Ethics.

Bernard Williams : Morality: An Introduction to Ethics.

J. L. Mackie : Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong.

B. Williams & J.J.C. Smart : Utilitarianism: For and Against.

C. D. Broad : Five Types of Ethical Theory.

Generic Elective Paper-V

HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY

Marks : 80+20.

Students are required to answer five questions out of eight.

1. 
   Plato: Theory of Ideas, theory of knowledge; knowledge (episteme) and opinion (doxa).
   
2. 
   Aristotle: Critique of Plato’s theory of Forms; potentiality and actuality; soul; God.
   
3. 
   Descartes: The need for method in philosophy; method of doubt; cogito ergo sum; mind-
   

body interaction; God: proofs for His existence.

4. 
   Spinoza: Substance, attributes and modes; pantheism; mind-body problem.
   
5. 
   Leibnitz: Monadology; doctrine of pre-established harmony.
   
6. 
   Locke: Ideas and their classification; refutation of innate ideas; substance; qualities: primary and secondary.
   
7. 
   Berkeley: Rejection of abstract ideas; rejection of the distinction between primary and
   

secondary qualities; esse est percipi.

8. 
   Hume: Impressions and ideas; relations of ideas and matters of fact; external world; self and personal identity; rejection of metaphysics; scepticism.
   
9. 
   Kant: Conception of critical philosophy; synthetic a priori judgments; space and time;
   

categories of the understanding; phenomena and noumena.

SUGGESTED READINGS:

F. Thilly : A History of Philosophy.

F. Copleston : A History of Philosophy.

D. J. O’Connor : A Critical History of Western Philosophy.

B. Russell : History of Western Philosophy.

C. R. Morris : Locke, Berkeley and Hume.

A. K. Rogers : A Student’s History of Philosophy.

W. K. Wright : A History of Modern Philosophy.

S. Korner : Kant.

W. T. Stace : A Critical History of Greek Philosophy.

Roger Scruton : A History of Philosophy from Descartes to Wittgenstein.

Jonathan Bennet : Locke, Berkeley, Hume.

John Cottingham : The Rationalists.
Generic Elective Paper - VI

MODERN INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

Marks : 80+20.

Students are required to answer five questions out of eight.

1. 
   Swami Vivekananda: Universal religion, practical Vedanta.
   
2. 
   Sri Aurobindo: Reality as ‘sat-chit-ananda’, evolution.
   
3. 
   Mohammad Iqbal: Intellect and intuition.
   
4. 
   Ravindranath Tagore: Man and God.
   
5. 
   S. Radhakrishnan: The idealist view of life.
   
6. 
   Vinoba Bhave: Bhoodan Andolan.
   
7. 
   M. K. Gandhi: Truth, non-violence.
   
8. 
   B. R. Ambedkar: Neo-Buddhism.
   

SUGGESTED READINGS:

Basant Kumar Lal: Contemporary Indian Philosophy, Delhi,1999.

T. M. P. Mahadevan & C. V. Saroja: Contemporary Indian Philosophy, Madras, 1985.

Benay Gopal Ray: Contemporary Indian Philosophers, Allahabad, 1957.

V. S. Naravane: Modern Indian Thought, Bombay, 1964.

Swami Vivekananda: Practical Vedanta, Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1964.

Sri Aurobindo: Integral Yoga, Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashrama, 1972.

Sri Aurobindo: The Life Divine, Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashrama.

M. Iqbal: Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, Lahore: Ashraf, 1980.

R. Tagore: Religion of Man, London: Unwin Books, 1961.

Radhakrishnan & Muirhead(Eds): Contemporary Indian Philosophy, George Allen & Unwin, 1958.

S. Radhakrishnan: An Idealist View of Life, London, George Allen & Unwin, 1957.

Mahatma Gandhi: Hind Swaraj, New Delhi: Publications Division, 1993.

A.R. Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches, Vol. I, Bombay: Education Dept. Govt. of

Maharashtra, 1979.

Dada Dharmadhikari: Sarvodaya Darshan, Sarva-Seva-Sangha Prakashan, Varanasi.