Venkat Raman –
A new book by Victoria University Professor of Philosophy Dr Jaysankar Lal Shaw is expected to shed further light on the values of Indian and Western Philosophy and become a healthy subject of discussion and pursuit over the coming months.
‘Comparative Philosophy,’ due for worldwide release on July 14, 2015, will comprise discussions of well-known philosophers of the East and the West, with the author arguing the importance and relevance of Indian philosophy to the Western world.
The Book is a part of the series relating to the Sophia Studies in Cross-cultural Philosophy of Traditions and Cultures (Volume 13).
Exploring themes
Springer, publishers of the Volume said that as a Festschrift, this book celebrates and honours the scholarly achievements of Professor Shaw, “one of the most eminent and internationally acclaimed comparative philosophers of our times.”
“The Book presents original works by leading international philosophers and logicians, exploring themes such as meaning, negation, perception, and Indian and Buddhist systems of philosophy, especially Nyaya perspectives.”
East-West thinking
According to Springer, Professor Shaw’s untiring effort to solve some of the problems of contemporary philosophy of language, logic, epistemology, metaphysics and morals from the perspectives of classical Indian philosophers is worthy of praise.
“Chapters in this Volume reflect the diverse aspects of Shaw’s contribution to comparative philosophy and are organised into four sections: Language, Epistemology, Mathematics and Logic, Ethics and Politics. These chapters would appeal to anyone interested in philosophy or East-West thinking, including students and professionals. Graduates and researchers with interests in epistemology, metaphysics, political philosophy, logic and non-western philosophy will find this work highly relevant.”
Global Meeting
On a related note, Professor Shaw is keen to have proper community representation at an international conference due to be held in Wellington from July 24 to 26, 2015.
Organised by the Victoria University and the Society for Philosophy and Culture (formerly known as the Society for Global Philosophy), the three-day conference will present an interdisciplinary approach to ‘Mind, Body and Self.’
Call for Papers
Professor Shaw said that the organisers have called for papers for presentation.
“We would welcome papers on a number of subjects including Philosophy, Sociology, Theology, Psychology, Anthropology, Criminology, History, Geography, Cognitive and Neuro-Science, Physics, Environmental Sciences, Art History, Medicine, Performing Arts, Literature, Law, Commerce, Computer Science/Artificial Intelligence. The Conference would emphasise Eastern and Western Perspectives. Therefore, apart from the views of contemporary Western philosophers, such as Bertrand Russell, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Noam Chomsky, Gilbert Ryle, Peter Strawson, Willard Quine and Saul Kripke the views of Indian, Chinese, and Maori scholars will also be discussed,” he said.
For further information about the Conference, Scholarship and enrolment to the membership of the Society, please call Professor Jay Shaw on (04) 4635233 (Extension 8936)
Email: jay.shaw@vuw.ac.nz; societyforphilosophy@gmail.com
Photo : Professor Jay Shaw
