India and Europe: on the Way to the Intercultural Dialog in Philosophy. J.N. Mohanty’s Reflection of the Theory and Practice in Indian Philosophy

Abstract

The paper studies the practice of intercultural philosophy in the writings of J. Mohanty, the philosopher deeply engaged in both Indian and Western traditions of thought. Mohanty makes a number of important observations about the nature of Indian thought; he focuses on the particular relation between theory and practice in the philosophical schools of India (darshanas): practice is an essential part of Indian discourse; and theory, a genuine philosophical knowledge, is a significant part of it as well. Mohanty argues, on the basis of classical philosophical texts of the Indian tradition, that Indian systems of thought are quite suitable to the classical European notion of philosophy. The publication includes a translated article by Mohanty, “Theory and Practice in Indian Philosophy” (with the commentary of the translator), which represents an important example of intercultural philosophical reflection.