Module overview
Philosophy flourished in classical India for well over a millennium, with figures in this tradition producing works that are on a par with those of figures in ancient Greece and late antique and medieval Europe. In fact, figures in classical India contributed extensively to what what we now recognise as core areas of philosophy such as epistemology, logic, philosophy of mind, metaphysics, and ethics. This module provides an overview of this long-neglected tradition of philosophy. Texts covered may include the early texts of the Brahmanical and Śramaṇa traditions (e.g. the Upaniṣads, and Pali Canon of Buddhism), and writings in the age of sutras and commentaries (e.g. those of Brahmanical schools such as Nyāya, Pūrva-Mīmāṃsā, Sāṃkhya, and Yoga, and Śramaṇa schools such as Buddhism and Jainism). The module’s approach will not be purely historical, but will critically examine the contributions these texts make to philosophical debates that remain live today.