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Work · South Asian & Tibetan Philosophy

Three Myths about Indian Philosophy

1966 · by Daya Krishna

Against three received ideas: that Indian philosophy is essentially spiritual, that it aims only at liberation, and that its schools are fixed systems tied to authority rather than living arguments.

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Introduction

The essay appeared in 1966 in the international journal Diogenes. Daya Krishna named three myths that, in his view, distorted the understanding of Indian philosophy: that it is essentially spiritual, that it is oriented exclusively towards liberation, and that its schools are closed systems bound to the authority of scripture. Against these he pointed to the arguments in the texts and to the history of debate between the schools. The essay was widely discussed and became a starting point for a more argument-centred approach to classical Indian philosophy.

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