Indian philosophy

Indian philosophy (Sanskrit: darśana) comprises the philosophical traditions of the Indian subcontinent. Since medieval India (ca.1000–1500), schools of Indian philosophical thought have been classified by the Brahmanical tradition as either orthodox or non-orthodox – āstika or nāstika – depending on whether they regard the Vedas as an infallible source of knowledge. There are six schools of orthodox Hindu philosophy—Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Mīmāṃsā and Vedanta—and three heterodox schools—Jain, Buddhist and Cārvāka. However, there are other methods of classification; Vidyaranya for instance identifies sixteen schools of Indian philosophy by including those that belong to the Śaiva and Raseśvara traditions.

The main schools of Indian philosophy were formalised chiefly between 1000 BCE to the early centuries of the Common Era. According to philosopher Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the earliest of these, which date back to the composition of the Upanishads in the later Vedic period (1000–500 BCE), constitute "the earliest philosophical compositions of the world." Competition and integration between the various schools was intense during their formative years, especially between 800 BCE and 200 CE. Some schools like Jainism, Buddhism, Śaiva and Advaita Vedanta survived, but others, like Samkhya and Ājīvika, did not; they were either assimilated or went extinct. Subsequent centuries produced commentaries and reformulations continuing up to as late as the 20th century by Sri Aurobindo and Prabhupāda among others.

Lou Marinoff

Louis Joshua Marinoff (born October 18, 1951) is a philosopher, author, and philosophical practitioner. He is currently professor of philosophy at The City College of New York. He is also founding president of the American Philosophical Practitioners Association.

Films

2010: Changing Our Minds, Living Life Films, San Diego. Directed by David Sousa. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1741651/

2006: Way of the Puck, Creative Ape Productions, Los Angeles. Directed by Eric Anderson. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0822046/

2004: Table Hockey: The Movie, Triad Films, Nova Scotia. Produced by Peter d'Entrement; Directed by Thor Henrikson. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0829293/

Books

The Power of Tao. Denver: Argo Navis, 2014.

Therapy for the Sane: 10th Anniversary Edition. Denver: Argo-Navis, 2013.

The Inner Philosopher: Conversations on Philosophy's Transformative Power. A dialogue with Daisaku Ikeda. Cambridge, MA: Dialogue Pathways Press, 2012.

The Middle Way. New York: Sterling, 2007.

The Big Questions. How philosophy can change your life. New York and London: Bloomsbury, 2003.