Parallels and Contrasts in Indian and Western Metaphysics

Abstract

EACH OF THE FOUR great civilizations of the present day has produced a philosophy of its own. Among these, Islamic philosophy is closely akin to European philosophy. They have two important factors in common: they are equally indebted to the ancient Greeks, and they agree in certain fundamental teachings expounded in the Bible. On the other hand, Indian and Chinese philosophy stand on a totally different basis. Being able to develop quite independently of ideas originating in the countries bordering on the Mediterranean Sea, they serve as an excellent illustration of the ways which human intelligence finds if no outside influence makes itself felt. Chinese philosophy is very remote from Occidental metaphysics, not only because the language and the script it uses are without affinity to those of the Occident, but also because the method of thinking is different. The Chinese do not attach so much importance to the logical and systematic explanation of their ideas; the charm of Chinese philosophical writings lies rather in the brilliance of their sentences and in the depth of their intuitions. Indian philosophy resembles its European counterpart insofar as it tries by means of abstract reasoning to prove its results. So, Indian philosophy stands between the other two Oriental philosophies. Indian philosophy being neither too close to, nor too remote from, European metaphysics, it may be useful to try to draw parallels between its historical development and that of the philosophy of the Occident. If we take into consideration the material that has come down to us, there is no doubt that the beginning of Indian philosophy antedates the beginning of Greek philosophy by many centuries. Thales, the father of Occidental philosophy, is said to have lived from 625 to 545 B.C. Even if we assume that he was preceded by the Orphics and Theogonists we still do not go as far back as the period in which the Vedas were composed. (The great importance of the Vedas for the student of comparative philosophy rests upon the fact