Abstract
This is one of a group of essays (collected in this issue of the journal) about methodological considerations that have arisen for the project on the “Sanskrit knowledge systems on the eve of colonialism.” For the history of the exact sciences in Sanskrit, or Jyotiḥśāstra, in the early modern period, there are special problems. These have to do with the historically anomalous status of the exact sciences among the śāstras or Sanskrit knowledge systems, and with the predominantly “internalist” method by which most recent research on Jyotiḥśāstra has been carried out. The essay considers the usefulness for tackling these problems of recent writing elsewhere in the history and philosophy of science, especially the work of Hacking.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Hacking I. (1982). Language, truth and reason. In: Hollis, M. and Lukes, S. (eds) Rationality and relativism, pp 48–66. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Hacking I. (1983). Representing and intervening. Cambridge University, Cambridge
Hacking I. (1999). The social construction of what?. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Hacking I. (2002). Historical ontology. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Lakatos, I. (1978). Philosophical papers the methodology of scientific research programmes. In J. Worrall, & G. Currie (Eds.), (Vol. I). Cambridge: Cambridge University.
Minkowski C. (2002). Astronomers and their reasons: Working paper on Jyotiḥśāstra. Journal of Indian Philosophy 30: 495–514
Neugebauer O. (1945). The history of ancient astronomy: Problems and methods. Journal of Near Eastern Studies 4: 1–38
Neugebauer O. (1957). The exact sciences in Antiquity (2nd edn). Brown University, Providence
Pingree, D. (1970–1994). Census of the exact sciences in Sanskrit, Series A (5 volumes). Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society.
Pingree D. (1978). History of mathematical astronomy in India. In: Gillespie, C.C. (eds) Dictionary of scientific biography Vol. 15, pp 533–633. Scribner, New York
Pingree D. (1981). Jyotiḥśāstra: Astral and mathematical literature. Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden
Pingree D. (1987). Venus omens in India and Babylon. In: Rochberg-Halton, F. (eds) Language, literature and history : Philological and historical studies presented to Erica Reiner, pp 293–315. New Haven, American Oriental Society
Pollock S. (2003). Sanskrit Literary Culture From the Inside Out. In: Pollock, S. (eds) Literary cultures in history : Reconstructions from South Asia. University of California, Berkeley
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Minkowski, C. The Study of Jyotiḥśāstra and the Uses of Philosophy of Science. J Indian Philos 36, 587–597 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10781-008-9037-9
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10781-008-9037-9