Gandhi and the Stoics
Modern Experiments on Ancient Values
240 pages
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3 halftones
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6 x 9
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© 2012
“Was Gandhi a philosopher? Yes.” So begins this remarkable investigation of the guiding principles that motivated the transformative public acts of one of the top historical figures of the twentieth century. Richard Sorabji, continuing his exploration of the many connections between South Asian thought and ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, brings together in this volume the unlikely pairing of Mahatma Gandhi and the Stoics, uncovering a host of parallels that suggests a deep affinity spanning the two millennia between them.
While scholars have long known Gandhi’s direct Western influences to be Platonic and Christian, Sorabji shows how a look at Gandhi’s convergence with the Stoics works mutually, throwing light on both of them. Both emphasized emotional detachment, which provided a necessary freedom, a suspicion of universal rules of conduct that led to a focus not on human rights but human duties—the personally determined paths each individual must make for his or her self. By being indifferent, paradoxically, both the Stoics and Gandhi could love manifoldly. In drawing these links to the fore, Sorabji demonstrates the comparative consistency of Gandhi’s philosophical ideas, isolating the specific ideological strengths that were required to support some of the most consequential political acts and experiments in how to live.
Faisal Devji, St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford
“Richard Sorabji offers us a way to think about Gandhi’s nonviolence in a philosophically complex way that also places the Mahatma in a much broader historical canvas, one that includes not only Stocisim and ancient philosophy in general, but also early Christianity and its ‘recovery’ by the Mahatma’s correspondent, Tolstoy. The dialogue that Gandhi and the Stoics creates between these great and otherwise disconnected movements provides an immense pleasure to the reader. Suddenly we are able to exit the narrow compass of Indian nationalism, within which Gandhi tends to be squeezed by academics, and consider his career from a number of fresh perspectives.”
Vinit Haksar, University of Edinburgh
“The book is an important and distinctive contribution to the history of ideas and to Gandhian studies.”
Bhikhu Parekh, University of Westminster
“By looking at Gandhi from an unusual comparative perspective, Sorabji skillfully highlights several unexplored aspects and perplexities of Gandhi's moral thought. His book makes a truly original contribution to the growing philosophical literature on Gandhi.”
Mohamed Mehdi, Oakton Community College
“By juxtaposing Gandhi’s thought with that of the Stoics, Richard Sorabji not only provides important insights into these thinkers but also sheds new light on the philosophical questions of emotional detachment, non-violence, universal love, and unique personal duties. Indeed, this book presents a compelling case for why these often neglected themes deserve the attention of contemporary moral philosophy. Sorabji discusses these questions in a manner that is philosophically provocative, personally compelling, historically interesting, and yet accessible to a broad audience. Gandhi and the Stoics is a book from which all who read it will learn a great deal. Its spirit of interdisciplinarity and comparative analysis is commendable, as is the grace with which it is written.”
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Asian Studies: South Asia
Philosophy: General Philosophy | History and Classic Works
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