Three Pillars of Skepticism in Classical India

Nagarjuna, Jayarasi, and Sri Harsa

Ethan Mills

Beginning with the earliest strata of Indian philosophy, this book uncovers a distinct tradition of skepticism in Indian philosophy through a study of the “three pillars” of Indian skepticism near the beginning, middle, and end of the classical era: Nāgārjuna (c. 150-200 CE), Jayarāśi (c. 770-830 CE), and Śrī Harṣa (c. 1125-1180 CE). Moving beyond the traditional school model of understanding the history of Indian philosophy, this book argues that the philosophical history of India contains a tradition of skepticism about philosophy represented most clearly by three figures coming from different schools but utilizing similar methods: Nāgārjuna, Jayarāśi, and Śrī Harṣa. This book argues that there is a category of skepticism often overlooked by philosophers today: skepticism about philosophy, varieties of which are found not only in classical India but also in the Western tradition in Pyrrhonian skepticism. Skepticism about philosophy consists of intellectual therapies for those afflicted by the quest for dogmatic beliefs. The book begins with the roots of this type of skepticism in ancient India in the Ṛg Veda, Upaniṣads, and early Buddhist texts. Then there are two chapters on each of the three major figures: one chapter giving each philosopher’s overall aims and methods and a second demonstrating how each philosopher applies these methods to specific philosophical issues. The conclusion shows how the history of Indian skepticism might help to answer philosophy’s detractors today: while skeptics demonstrate that we should be modest about philosophy’s ability to produce firm answers, philosophy nonetheless has other uses such as cultivating critical thinking skills and lessening dogmatism. This book is situated within a larger project of expanding the history of philosophy. Just as the history of Western philosophy ought to inform contemporary philosophy, so should expanding the history of philosophy to include classical India illuminate understandings of philosophy today: its value, limits, and what it can do for us in the 21st century.

Lexington Books

Pages: 254 • Trim: 6¼ x 9

978-1-4985-5569-2 • Hardback • September 2018 • $123.00 • (£95.00)

978-1-4985-5571-5 • Paperback • August 2020 • $47.99 • (£37.00)

Series: Studies in Comparative Philosophy and Religion

Subjects: Philosophy / Eastern, Religion / Hinduism / Sacred Writings, Philosophy / History & Surveys / Ancient & Classical

Three Pillars of Skepticism in Classical India

Nagarjuna, Jayarasi, and Sri Harsa

Hardback

Paperback

Summary

Beginning with the earliest strata of Indian philosophy, this book uncovers a distinct tradition of skepticism in Indian philosophy through a study of the “three pillars” of Indian skepticism near the beginning, middle, and end of the classical era: Nāgārjuna (c. 150-200 CE), Jayarāśi (c. 770-830 CE), and Śrī Harṣa (c. 1125-1180 CE). Moving beyond the traditional school model of understanding the history of Indian philosophy, this book argues that the philosophical history of India contains a tradition of skepticism about philosophy represented most clearly by three figures coming from different schools but utilizing similar methods: Nāgārjuna, Jayarāśi, and Śrī Harṣa. This book argues that there is a category of skepticism often overlooked by philosophers today: skepticism about philosophy, varieties of which are found not only in classical India but also in the Western tradition in Pyrrhonian skepticism. Skepticism about philosophy consists of intellectual therapies for those afflicted by the quest for dogmatic beliefs. The book begins with the roots of this type of skepticism in ancient India in the Ṛg Veda, Upaniṣads, and early Buddhist texts. Then there are two chapters on each of the three major figures: one chapter giving each philosopher’s overall aims and methods and a second demonstrating how each philosopher applies these methods to specific philosophical issues. The conclusion shows how the history of Indian skepticism might help to answer philosophy’s detractors today: while skeptics demonstrate that we should be modest about philosophy’s ability to produce firm answers, philosophy nonetheless has other uses such as cultivating critical thinking skills and lessening dogmatism. This book is situated within a larger project of expanding the history of philosophy. Just as the history of Western philosophy ought to inform contemporary philosophy, so should expanding the history of philosophy to include classical India illuminate understandings of philosophy today: its value, limits, and what it can do for us in the 21st century.

Details

Lexington Books

Pages: 254 • Trim: 6¼ x 9

978-1-4985-5569-2 • Hardback • September 2018 • $123.00 • (£95.00)

978-1-4985-5571-5 • Paperback • August 2020 • $47.99 • (£37.00)

Series: Studies in Comparative Philosophy and Religion

Subjects: Philosophy / Eastern, Religion / Hinduism / Sacred Writings, Philosophy / History & Surveys / Ancient & Classical

Author

Ethan Mills is assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Table of Contents

Introduction: Classical Indian Skepticism about Philosophy: Expanding the History of Philosophical Skepticism

Chapter 1: Skeptical Roots in Early Indian Philosophy: Ṛg Veda, Upaniṣads, and Early Buddhist Texts

Chapter 2: Nāgārjuna’s Buddhist Skepticism: From Emptiness to the Pacification of Conceptual Proliferation

Chapter 3: Nāgārjuna and the Cause of Skepticism

Chapter 4: Jayarāśi’s Cārvāka Skepticism: Irreligious Skepticism about Philosophy

Chapter 5: Jayarāśi and the Delightful Destruction of Buddhist Epistemology

Chapter 6: Śrī Harṣa’s Advaita Skepticism: The Critique of Realism and the Possibility of Mysticism

Chapter 7: Śrī Harṣa on Knowledge, Existence, and the Limits of Philosophy

Conclusion: The History of Indian Skepticism and Mitigated Skepticism about Philosophy

Reviews

"Three Pillars of Skepticism in Classical India: Nagarjuna, Jayarasi and Sri Harsa", is truly a valuable addition to the publications on Indian philosophy. Even if an advanced reader may later discover that what the three pillars--Nagarjuna, Jayarasi and Sri Harsa--support is not necessarily constructed of skepticism bricks, the path to the discovery via Ethan Mills' road-signs and guideposts, most engaging to read, is worth it all.

— Philosophy East and West

The Three Pillars is engagingly written. Mills brings his audience into Indian philosophy by making connections to contemporary Anglo-European philosophy, as well as global philosophies. The book is clear and engaging.

— Journal of Dharma Studies

The Three Pillars is engagingly written. . . Mills’ attention to shared methodologies and concerns is a welcome contribution to the ongoing correction to that division. Further, Three Pillars considers connections among thinkers beyond India (in Greece, Persia, and China). This global vantage point is a welcome aspect to the book, taking it beyond a simple Indian/"Western" framework. . . . [B]y drawing our attention to similarities among such disparate thinkers, Mills has done an important service to philosophers interested in global epistemologies. The book is clear and engaging. . . new-comers to Indian philosophy will find the book a useful, if controversial, introduction to three important thinkers. Three Pillars of Skepticism in Classical India should spur further inquiry into each of the three “pillars” and their relationship to philosophy in premodern South Asia and the rest of the world.”
— Journal of Dharma Studies

Ethan Mills has written a lovely book on Indian skepticism. It shows that skepticism is not merely a Greek phenomenon, but enjoys a long history in India. This book addresses skepticism both in the orthodox and Buddhist traditions, and enriches our understanding of the interaction between those traditions and the development of philosophical dialectics in India. The account is erudite, nuanced, full of good translation and exposition. It is philosophically sophisticated, and easy to read. Anyone interested in skepticism or in Indian philosophy should read it.
— Jay Garfield, Smith College

This book offers thought-provoking interpretations of three major figures in Indian thought. With technical precision, careful translation, and most notably, insightful comparisons with Western discussions, Mills makes an impressive and persuasive case for 'expanding the history of philosophical skepticism', and leads us to think afresh about the purposes and limits of doing philosophy today.

— Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, Lancaster University

Ethan Mills makes a strong case for the skeptical positions of Nāgārjuna, Jayarāśi and Śrī Harṣa, which according to him should be appreciated as forms of "skepticism about philosophy" rather than epistemological skepticism. This is something any lover of philosophy should take seriously.

— Pradeep Gokhale, Savitribai Phule Pune University