Brings together the most recent discoveries in quantum physics and provides a powerful argument for transforming not only the way we view nature, but also how we view our own personal reality. The book also challenges readers to give up their prejudices regarding material realism.

Research papers outcome of a seminar organised by the Asiatic Society, Kolkata on 18-19 February 2008.

"This is the most complete book available on the practices, techniques and philosophy of Kriya Yoga. It is an invaluable guide which takes the student step by step through the eight stages of Patanjali, from the yamas and the practice of ahimsa to samadhi, the ultimate realization of the yogic path.

Selections from Puranas on Hindu cosmology; Sanskrit text with English translation.

Following the lead of von Neumann and Wigner, Goswami has developed a paradox-free interpretation of quantum mechanics based on the idealistic notion that consciousness collapes the quantum wave function. This solution of quantum measurement theory sheds a considerable amount of light on the nature of consciousness. Quantum theory is applied to the mind-brain problem and a solution is proposed for the paradox of the causal potency of the conscious mind and of self-reference. Cognitive and neurophysiological data in support of (...) the present theory are also reviewed. (shrink)

It is shown that if quantum physics is interpreted according to the philosophy of monistic idealism--that consciousness is the ground of all being--then some of the important dualisms of philosophy can be integrated.

Argues for postcoloniality as a model for philosophical practice. In this ambitious book, Namita Goswami draws on continental philosophy, postcolonial criticism, critical race theory, and African American and postcolonial feminisms to offer postcoloniality as a model for philosophical practice. Moving among and between texts, traditions, and frameworks, including the work of Gayatri Spivak, Theodor Adorno, Barbara Christian, Paul Gilroy, Neil Lazarus, and Hortense Spillers, among others, she charts a journey that takes us beyond Eurocentrism by understanding postcoloniality as the (...) pursuit of heterogeneity, that is, of a non-antagonistic understanding of difference. Recognizing that philosophy, feminism, and postcolonial theory share a common concern with the concept of heterogeneity, Goswami shows how postcoloniality empowers us to engage more productively the relationships between these disciplines. Subjects That Matter confronts the ways Eurocentrism, an identity politics that considers difference as inherently oppositional, relegates minority traditions to a diagnostic and/or corrective standpoint to prevent their general implications from playing a critical and transformative role in how we understand subjectivity and agency. Through unexpected, often surprising, and thought-provoking analytic connections and continuities, this book’s interdisciplinary approach reveals a postcolonial pluralism that expands philosophical resources, confounds and limits our habitual disciplinary lexicons, and opens up new areas of inquiry. “This is a groundbreaking contribution to a number of distinct but intersecting fields.” — Amy Allen, author of The End of Progress: Decolonizing the Normative Foundations of Critical Theory. (shrink)

This is a response to Michael Dyer's Commentary on Goswami's Quantum-Based Theory of Consciousness and Free Will, a theory that I will call idealist science - a science based on the primacy of consciousness rather than matter. First, I review Dyer's main points: there is no need for idealist science since cognitive science can explain whatever human phenomena idealist science purports to explain; and idealist science offers nothing new, such as, new methodology or experimental prediction. I then review some (...) of the inadequacies of the cognitive science model of consciousness stemming in part from its impoverished ontology of physical realism. It is shown that cognitive science follows from the new idealist science in the limit of a correspondence principle. In this way, idealist science is seen to support cognitive science while generalizing the scope of science itself to include the subjective aspects of reality. Next, I point out what idealist science gains for us: treatment within science of the subjective aspects of creativity, ethics, free will, and spirituality ; and integration of all the forces of psychology, and also of physics and biology. Finally, I discuss possible experiments to distinguish between realist and idealist models of reality. (shrink)

Intersectionality, the attempt to bring theories on race, gender, disability and sexuality together, has existed for decades as a theoretical framework. The essays in this volume explore how intersectionality can be applied to modern philosophy, as well as looking at other disciplines.

This article is devoted to analyze the kierkegaardian concept of original Sin with the main purpose of highlighting that, even though Kierkegaard uses some resources “analogous” to analytical philosophy, the results are not connected with this tradition of thought. Existential concepts are presen..

The main purpose of this article consists in discussing the idea of moral responsibility in Abraham’s case as it is put forward in Fear and Trembling. With this idea in mind, the notion of ethical heteronomy that the author defends is opposed to kantian ethical autonomy. From this viewpoint, religious sacrifice not only cannot but also must not be ethically justified. The discussion is developed considering Kierkegaard’s ideas from the perspective of different contemporary ethical theories.

El objetivo de este artículo es analizar dos modelos complementarios de laicización de la cultura formulados a principios del siglo XX a partir de la confrontación con el paradigma religioso, a saber: el psicoanálisis freudiano y el socialismo del joven Gramsci. La hipótesis que conduce el análisis es la siguiente: la comprensión gramsciana del problema de la cultura introduce la dimensión política desconocida en los escritos antropológicos de Freud. Es la introducción de esta dimensión la que explica que Gramsci no (...) describa la función de la religión a partir de la consideración del cristianismo en términos generales, como hace Freud, sino que estudie la función de la Iglesia Católica en el proceso italiano de unificación nacional conocido como Risorgimento. (shrink)

The purpose of this paper is to show that the logical form of action sentences are dependent upon the concept of 'agent' that one takes. A thing type of agent leads to the extensional form while a thinking type of agent leads to intentional form of action sentences. Consequently, it is important to note the locus of the describer who himself is also an agent. If the describer is someone other than theagent, the ascription of action is based on a (...) tacit counterfactual. The agent could have done otherwise, implying the agent to be a being-of-the-world, who acts on the things of the world to bring about a change which could not have occurred otherwise. (shrink)

A clash of two worldviews -- Consciousness and the science of experience -- The physics of the subtle -- Zen and quantum physics -- Thought, feeling, and intuition -- The world of archetypes -- The ego and the quantum self -- Free will and creativity -- Involution and evolution -- A tale of two domains -- The creative principle -- Quantum reincarnation -- The meaning and purpose of life -- The meaning of dreams -- Enlightenment -- Spiritual professions; spiritual society.

Study of Vīraśaiva commentary on Brahmasutra along with the fundamentals of other systems on Hindu philosophy.

The quantum functionalist model of mentation provides an explanation of conscious and unconscious perception without the postulation of a central processing unit . Based on Goswami's idealist interpretation of quantum mechanics, the quantum model posits a dual quantum/classical system for the mind-brain with which consciousness is linked via self-reference. A comparative analysis of word-sense disambiguation data is conducted with a cognitive science model derived from the Posner and Snyder facilitation and inhibition and the Rummelhart, McClelland, and PDP group's parallel-distributed-processing (...) theories. A new line of experiments is proposed which distinguishes between the two models. (shrink)

This essay conducts a comparative reading of Gayatri Spivak’s discussion of the Hindu epic Mahabharata and Mahasweta Devi’s story “Draupadi.” While scholars have examined Devi’s tribal protagonist Draupadi in conjunction with the high Hindu goddess Draupadi of the epic, I suggest that the former’s viswarupadarshana should be read in contrast to the role of the Mahabharata’s Hindu God Krishna. This comparison shows the feminist and postcolonial import of Devi’s story, as it demonstrates the continuity of caste-based tribal exploitation from antiquity (...) to globalization. Along with this critique of tribal women’s subalternity in the national imaginary, Devi’s story stages a terrifying singularity that disrupts the sociopolitical logic of gender. Draupadi occupies the position of the subject of knowledge to invert the Indo-Aryan ontograph. By unraveling the “she” that must be perpetually murdered for historicity to take root, Draupadi pours into an encounter between agent and subaltern the affectivity ideologically excised for an illusion to be seen as truth and, hence, as history. (shrink)

Repisando a trilha clássica de aproximação ao Direito, o livro repropõe o método realista para pensar o Direito. Um estar de novo do pensamento jurídico tradicional, com sua persistente atualidade, está a exigir que se retome e guarde a analogia do termo Direito e a conclusão de que, antes de mais, sendo o Direito uma coisa, a 'coisa justa', seus demais possíveis conceitos são somente analogados secundários que, por importantes se estimem, demandam sempre referência subalterna àquele prius significativo - antes (...) de tudo, o Direito é justo. Essa perspectiva realista reabre a esperança de que, mediando a experiência e a dialética, se reencontre e aprofunde uma teoria da justiça ancorada na natureza das coisas. Paulo Ferreira da Cunha e Ricardo Dip uniram aqui suas meditações acadêmicas para, comungando da doutrina jusnaturalista clássica formular um convite para que se pense realmente o Direito. (shrink)

The issue of abstractness raises two distinct questions. First, is there a format-independent magnitude representation? Second, does analogue magnitude really play a crucial role in the development of human mathematics? We suggest that neither developmental nor cultural studies support this notion. The field needs to redefine the properties of the core number representation as used in human arithmetic.

Today, organizations are facing a high rate of attrition which is a serious issue for human resource managers. Gaining the commitment of employees towards their organization, though challenging, is rewarding as organizational commitment (OC) is a precursor to employee engagement. Another challenge is about maintaining an ethical climate. Ethical misconduct by organizations not only brings them a heavy monetary price but also incurs non-monetary price in terms of customer and employee attrition and diminished business reputation. In the new workplace with (...) greater emphasis on flexibility, teams and a strong customer orientation, we feel that development of emotional intelligence (EI) of the workforce can be the key to meet these challenges. This paper explores these three critical constructs viz., EI, workplace ethics and OC together, and tests whether workplace ethics mediates the EI–OC relationship using structural equation modelling. We conducted an empirical study in Guwahati, a fast-growing tier II city in India and a business hub for north-east India, on a sample of 400 managers working in the service sector. Our study found that emotional intelligence is a strong predictor of ethical perception and organization commitment. Also, ethical perception significantly affects organizational commitment. Although we reject the hypothesis that ethics mediates the EI–OC relationship, the importance of workplace ethics cannot be undermined as it can build intangible organizational assets such as goodwill and public image. Since individual ethical standards create ethical climate, organizations need to teach their people how to recognize morally questionable situations and the consequence of unethical conduct. (shrink)

Cognitive neuroscience aims to improve our understanding of aspects of human learning and performance by combining data acquired with the new brain imaging technologies with data acquired in cognitive psychology paradigms. Both neuroscience and psychology use the philosophical assumptions underpinning the natural sciences, namely the scientific method, whereby hypotheses are proposed and tested using quantitative approaches. The relevance of 'brain science' for the classroom has proved controversial with some educators, perhaps because of distrust of the applicability of so-called 'medical models' (...) to education. Nevertheless, the brain is the main organ of learning, and so a deeper understanding of the brain would appear highly relevant to education. Modern science is revealing the crucial role of biology in every aspect of human experience and performance. This does not mean that biology determines outcomes. Rather, there is a complex interplay between biology and environments. Improved knowledge about how the brain learns should assist educators in creating optimal learning environments. Neuroscience can also identify 'biomarkers' of educational risk, and provide new methodologies to test the effects of educational interventions. (shrink)

Research papers presented at a seminar organized by Shri Vallabhacharya Trust at Pune in 2004.

Hindu cosmology according to ancient Vedic literature; includes Sanskrit text.