Explanations that trivialize experiences
1. In many cultures, especially in the Indian case, it is important to understand that stories are not explanations. They are neither true nor false because they do not describe…
Read moreCould religion be a neural disorder?
Religion lays claim to truth, both about itself and the Cosmos. It is true the way no other account (that we know of) is. However, religion also generates (or brings…
Read moreComparative Anthropology and Moral Domains. An Essay on Selfless Morality and the Moral Self—S.N.Balagangadhara
[Published in Cultural Dynamics 1 (1): 98–128] A Disquieting Suggestion Arthur Danto, the well-known American philosopher, prefaced a book he wrote in the 70’s on oriental thought and moral philosophy titled Mysticism and…
Read moreThe Future of the Present. Thinking Through Orientalism—S.N.Balagangadhara
[Appeared in Cultural Dynamics July 1998 10: 101-121] Though the book was published nearly two decades ago, Said’s Orientalism continues to be topical. Many have rejected the message of this work; others have attempted…
Read moreComparative Anthropology and Rhetorics in Cultures.
[Published in Robert Maier (Ed.) Norms in Argumentation: proceedings of the conference on Norms (1989). Dordrecht: Foris, pp. 195–211.] Introduction Perhaps it is best that we begin on a personal note.…
Read moreRituals and their meaninglessness—S.N.Balagangadhara
1. Consider, say, a ritual like sandhyaavandanam. Here are two extremes, when it comes to saying what it is: (a) one goes very deeply into what Mudras mean, which of…
Read moreColonial Consciousness as a process and as an event
It is an event because the colonial consciousness that I am talking about comprises of multiplicity of actions executed by indefinitely many Indians over a long period. It is a…
Read moreThe reality of elusive man? –S.N.Balagangadhara
[Appeared in Nispen & Tiemersma (Eds.), The Quest of Man: The Topicality of Philosophical Anthropology, 1991 Assen: von Gorcum, pp. 112-116] Speaking of ‘the greatest mystery of our humanness’, Sinari raises the…
Read moreAvidya, Ajnana, Maaya, Ignorance: a learning process
When we speak about ignorance, we can do so in two ways. One is by talking about ‘how the world is’; the other is by talking about ‘how we think…
Read more