The present work is a collection of essays on various topics. This work provides a conceptual analysis of various aspects of Indian and Western Philosophical thoughts. Most of the essays are on religion, yoga, ethics, aesthetics, epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of science and value education. The analysis of certain foundational aspects of Vaisnavism is bold and original. There are a number of books and articles on Vaisnavism. But almost all of them focus on the post-Ramanuja development of Vaisnavism, Ramanuja and Pancaratra School and Agamic Traditions of Saiva Siddhanta and Vaisnavism: Saiva, Pancaratra and Vaikhanasa focus on the need for the study of Vaisnavism prior to the period of Ramanuja. Most of the scholars on Vaisnavism show less interest in the evolution from Nigama form of worship to the Agama form of worship of Visnu. The gist of the relativity theory can be found in the Syadvada of Jainism.
The Jainas also used the concept of dharma in a metaphysical sense. Existentialism Analytical philosophy and post-modernism have made the academic philosophers to ignore the contributions made by thinkers like Henri Bergson and hence some articles on Henri Bergson are included. In the 21st century, Philosophy, Science and Technology will interact with each other for global welfare and development. There is repetition of some ideas in some essays because the author wrote the papers individually and at different times. There are some general essays also. This book will certainly be of great help for teachers and students of philosophy and will interest the general readers as well.
About the Author:
Dr. A. Appan Ramanujam (b. 1947) did his B.Sc. (Physics) from Madurai University and M.A. (Philosophy) and Ph.D. from Annamalai University. He was awarded the Junior Research Fellowship by the U.G.C in 1976. Apart from research papers, articles and scripts on philosophical topics, he delivered lectures on Philosophy of Science. Starting his career as a Demonstrator in Physics (1969-1971) at A.J. College, Sivakasi, he retired as a Head of the Department of Philosophy, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College, Chennai in 2006. His main interests are Ethics, Psychology, Western Philosophy, Philosophy of Science and Vaisnavism.
He participated as a symposiast at the 79th session of the Indian Philosophical Congress held at Madurai College, Madurai on Values in Education in 2004 and at the World Philosophy Congress held at Delhi University, New Delhi on Justice in 2006. The All India Sattada Srivaisnava Association has conferred on him the title Vaisnava Kula Bhushana for his original contribution to Vaisnavism. He was the Director of the National Seminar, Indian Philosophical Heritage: A Re-understanding, March 2006, sponsored by Indian Council of Philosophical Research (I.C.P.R), New Delhi, held at R.K.M. Vivekananda College, Chennai. He was invited to deliver the Acharya Tulsi Endowment Lectures in January 2007 by the Department of Jainology, University of Madras.
