Author: Raghavan Iyer
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 2003
Language: English
Pages: 449
ISBN/UPC (if available): 019 5651952
Description
This book elucidates the central concepts in the moral and political thought of Mahatma Gandhi. There is a detailed examination of the ramifications of Gandhi’s concepts of truth and non-violence, freedom and obligation, and his view of the relation between means and ends in politics.
Despite the vast literature on Gandhi, little attention has been paid to the solid conceptual foundations of his thought. Professor Iyer addresses this lacuna, and brings out the subtlety, potency and universal import of Gandhi’s political ethic, in theory and in practice.
Gandhi’s indictment of modern civilization, his plea for the purification of politics, his conception of an unassailable moral commitment, his vision of human perfectibility, and his perception of the role of individual conscience and heroism in society are all carefully considered in this book.
Enriched by allusions to a wide range of political thinkers, classical and modern, this is a significant contribution to contemporary thought about the place of moral values in political action. Well received in its earlier printings, this authoritative work is increasingly relevant for shcolars and general readers concerned about the troubled political ethic of the postmodern world.
Contents
Introduction
The Indictment of Modern Civilization
The Purification of Politics
The Need for Absolute Values and For Vows
Human Nature, Progress, and Perfectibility
Individual Conscience and Heroism in Society
Satya
Absolute and Relative Truth
Ahimsa
Nonviolence as a Creed and a Policy
Satya and Ahimsa
The Relation Between Truth and Nonviolence
Satyagraha
Active and Passive Resistance
The Scope and Significance of Satyagraha
Swaraj and Swadeshi
Self-rule and Self-reliance
Means and Ends in Politics
Assessment
Notes
Bibliography
Glossary
Index