The Indian Mind

Extract

Bertrand Russell was, I believe, the first English philosopher with the wit and the graciousness to realize that a history of philosophizing from Thales to Bertrand Russell was not a history of Philosophy but was simply a history of Western philosophy. Since the appearance of his book the term ‘Western philosophy’ has been fairly widely adopted without much evidence, however, that interest in philosophizing which is not Western has increased greatly. This is noteworthy, as virtually every other academic field has felt a post-war convulsion of interest in the cultures and civilizations outside of Europe and America. What anthropologist can hold up his head unless he is aware of relevant material from Asia and Africa? What student of religion can any longer ignore the radical insights of religions outside the Christian pale? What linguist can ignore Sanscrit? What historian (except perhaps the Upper Canadian) can ignore the human chronicle in Asia and Africa?