© Columbia University Press
Buddhists, Brahmins, and Belief: Epistemology in South Asian Philosophy of Religion
Paper, 328 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-13281-7
$26.00
/ £18.00
January, 2006
Cloth, 328 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-13280-0
$75.00
/ £52.00
"Arnold's book is impressive on many levels. It is a brilliant study of several key figures in the history of medieval Indian thought. It is also a thought-provoking and intelligent exploration of contemporary issues in epistemology and philosophy of religion that makes the potential audience of the book much wider than the relatively small circle of those of who delight themselves by picking their way through the briar patches of difficult Sanskrit and Tibetan texts. Finally, it is a profoundly civilized book, one based on an abundant charity of interpretation that offers thoughtful criticism without any trace of a tone of denigration of the many positions entertained. . . . A delightfully provocative book." — Richard Hayes, Journal of the American Academy of Religion
"Arnold's book has been an instant success, and it is clear that any future work on Dignaga, Candrakirti, and their Hindu rivals will have to take its arguments into account." — Malcolm David Eckel, H-Buddhism
"A thoroughly stimulating read for anyone interested in Indian, Buddhist or cross-cultural philosophy." — Douglas Osto, The Journal of Religion
"An illuminating and lucidly written study... recommended for anyone interested in the study of religious thought." — Mario D’Amato, Religious Studies Review
"Thought-provoking." — Journal of Buddhist Ethics
"Buddhists, Brahmins, and Belief is a landmark in the study of Indian Philosophy and in Buddhist Studies, a rigorous and subtle exploration of epistemological and ontological foundationalism in a cross-cultural context and a great read. Arnold sheds new light on the importance of Mimamsaka to Buddhist philosophy and develops a fascinating account of Madhyamaka epistemology. His graceful deployment of a wide range of Indian and Western texts and arguments is a model of how to do cross-cultural philosophy." — Jay L. Garfield, Doris Silbert Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Philosophy, Smith College, author of Empty Words: Buddhist Philosophy and Cross-Cultural Interpretation
"Dan Arnold offers a very readable and valuable treatment of some of the most difficult and important topics in Indian philosophy. This is an excellent and innovative take on an extremely rich and important period of Indian philosophy, a veritable feast for those interested in getting a deeper understanding of this very rich source of insights." — Georges Dreyfus, Williams College, author of The Sound of Two Hands Clapping: The Education of a Tibetan Monk
"In Buddhists, Brahmins, and Belief, Dan Arnold succeeds in advancing our knowledge of philosophical debate and dialogue in India, while demonstrating the relevance of the ancient Indian debates to current discussions in the philosophy of religion. Philosophically stimulating and a pleasure to read, Arnold's work is an essential contribution to both philosophy and the study of religion." — Matthew Kapstein, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris, author of Reason's Traces: Identity and Interpretation in Indian and Tibetan Buddhist Thought
"Buddhists, Brahmins, and Belief is cross-cultural philosophy at its best, a dazzling foray into the heart of Indian and Western ideas of knowledge, reality, and truth. Its readings of classical Hindu and Buddhist thinkers are fresh and challenging, its deployment of contemporary philosophy sophisticated and fruitful. The reader is left deeply impressed and enriched." — Roger R. Jackson, Carleton College, editor and translator of Tantric Treasures: Three Collections of Mystical Verse from Buddhist India
"Buddhists, Brahmins, and Belief combines exegetical care, linguistic skill, and normative philosophical concern. The result is a deeply illuminating and in some respects revolutionary interpretation of the Madhyamika critique of Dignaga's epistemology, and of the relation of both to the Purva Mimamsa. But that's not all: Arnold's book is also a philosophical achievement in its own right, deploying with admirable care and precision the distinction between truth and justification to argue that the principal purpose of argument is not to produce but to justify belief, and to show thereby that (and how) Mimamsakas and Madhyamikas may both be justified in holding what they hold." — Paul J. Griffiths, University of Illinois at Chicago, author of Lying: An Augustinian Theology of Duplicity
"Dan Arnold’s Buddhists, Brahmins, and Belief is a singularly accomplished introduction to the critique of foundationalism in early India. No one has addressed the core problems of epistemology more trenchantly than Indian thinkers. And no one has provided a more probing and accessible exposition of their many-sided controversies than Arnold, or a more forceful demonstration of their claim on the attention of students of contemporary philosophy." — Sheldon Pollock, William B. Ransford Professor of Sanskrit and South Asian Studies, Columbia University, author of The Language of the Gods in the World of Men: Sanskrit, Culture, and Power in Premodern India