On Philosophical Synthesis

Abstract

WE ARE QUITE ACCUSTOMED to speak of Indian philosophy and European philosophy. Such expressions logically can have no philosophical value, if by philosophy we mean a quest for truth. Differences in latitudes and longitudes have no bearing on truth. It is simply a matter of convenience if we mean by European philosophy philosophy as developed by thinkers in Europe. So, too, American philosophy can simply mean philosophy as developed by thinkers in America. We may be tempted by analogy to speak of Indian philosophy as philosophy developed by thinkers in India. But the analogy is misleading, for Indian philosophy is markedly different from European and American philosophy. In these two cases the distinction is only geographical, for American philosophy is rooted in the traditions of Europe just as much as European philosophy is. Indian philosophy is rooted in a different tradition and implies a different outlook on life. Thus it is that Indian philosophy has marked differences from European philosophy. Since the days of Thales in ancient Greece, philosophy in Europe has set out on an independent quest after truth. Speculation is controlled by laws of logic. Even philosophers nursed on Christianity scrupulously keep out the dogmas of Christianity from their philosophy. In Indian philosophy, on the other hand, tradition has the upper hand. Sabda pramana (proof based on authority, i.e., authorized by the Vedas, inclusive of the Upanisads) constitutes the logical basis of all Indian philosophical systems apart from heretical schools like the Buddhist and the Jaina. The hallmark of orthodoxy is the acceptance of the Vedas as revealed truth. Secondly, in India there is an acute sense of suffering. The Vedas had a certain robust, virile outlook on life, but with the Upanisads there streamed in a current of pessimism and an austere sense of life. Christianity in Europe has not been free from the sense of sin and suffering, but the virile GraecoRoman civilization, with its sense of joy and beauty, has tended to keep in check this sense of sin and suffering. In fact, the prima facie otherwordly Christianity has been exquisitely adapted to the needs of this life. European philosophy has built itself up on Graeco-Roman foundations, although in ethics it has frankly adopted the Christian ideals of love and charity. If suffering is universal it was natural for Indian philosophy to look for some explanation of this suffering. The answer was found in the doctrine of