The Problem Of Evil And Indian Thought

$43
Item Code: IDE768
Publisher: MOTILAL BANARSIDASS PUBLISHERS PVT. LTD.
Author: Arthur L. Herman
Language: English
Edition: 2000
ISBN: 8120807537
Pages: 341
Cover: Hardcover
Other Details 8.8" X 5.8"
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Book Description
From the Jacket:

Beginning with the problem of evil in the West, Professor A. L. Herman traces the history of one of the most fascinating of all perennial philosophical puzzles. The author identifies some twenty-one historical solutions to the problem, which are then reduced to eight quite distinct solutions. Prof. Herman then turns, in the second part of the book, to the history of the problem of evil in Indian thought. Beginning with an examination of the Indian doctrine of samsara or rebirth, he examines its possible origins in the Vedas, its status in the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, in several classical darsanas including Buddhism, Jainism, Vedanta, Samkhya and Nyaya.

The author then joins the analysis of the problem of evil(taken from the first part of the book) to the Indian doctrine of rebirth (taken from the second part) in order to attempt a solution to the problem. By careful analysis, the author shows that the doctrine of rebirth can satisfy the conditions already set forth as adequate for a solution to the problem of evil. That is further examined in the commentaries of Samkara and Ramanuja on several key passages in the Brahma Sutras. Professor Herman concludes with a critique of samsara as a solution to the problem of evil.

About the Author:

A.L. Herman, Ph.D., is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, U.S.A. He has received several honors and awards including a Ford Foundation Overseas Training Fellowship, a Danforth Teacher Fellowship and a New York State Faculty Scholarship in Oriental Studies. He is the author 'some seventy-five articles and reviews' and among his published books are Indian Folk Tales, translated from the Sanskrit; The Bhagavad Gita, A Translation and Critical Commentary; Problems in Philosophy, West and East(with Russell T. Blackwood); three cassette tapes; The History and Practice of Indian Yoga (1976); An Introduction to Indian Thought (1976); An Introduction to Buddhist Thought (1984); The Ways of Philosophy, Searching for a Worthwhile Life (1990); A Brief Introduction to Hinduism (1991); andCommunity Violence and Peace, Aldo Leopold, Mohandas K. Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gautama the Buddha in the 21st Century (1999).

Excerpts From Reviews:

"A clearly stated, closely argued thesis concerning the traditional problem of evil and its resolution.

The work is well documented. Recommended for undergraduate courses in philosophy of religions and graduate courses in comparative Philosophy. " - Choice, Nov. 1977

"Arthur Herman's work is always philosophically stimulating, sometimes provocative, but never dull. The Problem of Evil and Indian Thought is of considerable philosophical interest." - FRANK J. HOFFMAN, The University of Montevallo, Alabama, U. S.A.

"As persuasive as it is audacious, Herman's argument is that the Indian doctrine of rebirth successfully meets or circumvents that most intractable of all theistic problems: Theodicy. We are all indebted to Motilal Banarsidass for re-issuing this important work." - RUSSELL T. BLACKWOOD & JOHN S. KENNEDY, Professor of Philosophy, Hamilton College, New York, U.S.A.

"… gets his facts from the unimpeachable 'experiencer' Bhagawan Sri Ramana Maharshi, as well as from Nisargadatta Maharaj who lived the advaitic life till 1981." - Indian Review of Book, Vol. 3, No. 8, May-June 15, 1994.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION1
PART I - PHILOSOPHY AND PROBLEMS OF EVIL
CHAPTERS
I. The Historical Background
1. St. Augustine11
a. Divine Providence12
b. Free Choice of the Will15
c. Confessions23
d. City of God27
e. Enchiridion30
f. Conclusion33
2.Interim34
a. Plotinus35
b. Dionysius37
c. St. Thomas Aquinas41
3.G.E. Leibniz43
a. Theodicy44
b. Conclusion56
4.John Stuart Mill58
a. Three Essays on Religion58
b. Conclusion62
5.Josiah Royce62
a. The World and the Individual62
b. Conclusion67
6.John Hick68
a. Evil and the God of Love68
b. Conclusion68
7.Summary of Historical Background (Ch.I)78
9
II. The Problem of Evil
1.Introduction81
2.The Theological Problem of Evil82
a. The Theological Theses82
b. The Evil Thesis90
3.Conclusion to theProblem of Evil (Ch. II)99
81
III. Solutions to the Theological Problem of Human Evil
1.Philosophical Problems and Solutions105
a. Three Criteria for Solutions to TPHE107
2.Some Reductions109
3.Eight Solutions and Their Analysis112
4.Conclusion (Ch. III)139
105
IV. Conclusion to Part I
1.Internal Problems140
2.External Problems141
140
PART II - THE INDIAN DOCTRINE OF REBIRTH
V.The Historical Background of Samsara
1.The Mobile Soul Doctrine in the Vedic Period146
2.Upanisadic Samsara149
3.Samsara in theBhagavad Gita151
4.Conclusion153
143
VI.The Assumptions of the Rebirth Thesis
A1The Soul Thesis157
1.Theravada Buddhism158
2.Plato163
3.Ananda K. Coomaraswamy and Samkara165
4.Samkhya168
5.Nyaya173
6.Samkara174
7.Personal Identity: West and East177
8.Aurobindo Ghose195
9.Conclusion To A<sup>1</sup>199
A2The Soul-Locus Thesis199
1.Plato200
2.Jainism203
3.Buddhism207
4.Conclusion To A2208
A3The Mobile-Soul Thesis208
1.General Conditions208
2.The Mobile-Soul System209
3.Conclusion To A3211
A4The Karma Thesis211
1.The Indian Context211
2.Right and Wrong Under the Law of Karma213
3.The Law in the Law of Karma217
4.Plato219
5.Buddhism222
6.Other Indian Systems225
7.Aurobindo Ghose226
8.Conclusion T0 A4227
155

PART III - REBIRTH AND THE PROBLEM OF EVIL

VIII.The Indian Assumptions to T.P.E.
1.Indian Analysis of the Theological Theses236
a. The Omnipotence Thesis236
b. The Omniscience Thesis239
c. The Ethical Thesis242
2.Indian Analysis of the Evil Thesis246
235
IX.Two Indian Solutions to T.P.E.
1.The Necessity of Evil: The Necessary Solution248
2.Transmigration and Reincarnation: The Rebirth Solution250
a. The Rebirth Solution Will Solve T.P.E.251
b. The Rebirth Solution Will Not Solve T.P.E.261
3.Indian 'Theodicy": Samkara and Ramanuja on Brahma Sutra II. 1.32-36264
248
X.Conclusion to Part III 287
NOTES293
BIBLIOGRAPHY311
INDEX319

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