Preface
by Rajiv Malhotra The Story Behind the Book As a student of physics, I learned the importance of combining both theory and experiment to investigate the physical world. A theoretical model's credibility depends on its ability to explain empirical data. Conversely, novel experiments are used as case studies to test the models. Both aspects must be mutually supportive. Science advances when new theories are propounded and tested successfully with empirical data; this loop of new theories challenging and replacing the old continues indefinitely. There is no 'finality of knowledge. In other words, fundamental theories are never closed to questioning, challenging, and being superseded. I took early retirement from my career as a technocrat and entrepreneur to pursue a similar approach in the field of civilization studies. My focus has been on developing new theoretical models and frameworks and testing them using concrete examples, and then using real-world feedback to refine the theories. I have a passion for theorizing and applying my models to specific case studies, and hence constantly advancing my understanding. Only then can I address the root of a problem and not merely engage in firefighting the symptoms. I use live encounters with the toughest of opponents as a means to strengthen my arguments and make my models more robust. My svadharma (duty of an individual) is to ignite a Vedic renaissance for the benefit of all humanity in this epoch. I am especially interested in developing theories that challenge Western philosophical, religious, and social theories that have dominated for the past few centuries, This Western discourse and its trendy theories are deeply installed in intellectual milicus everywhere, and the Indian elite is amongst its most loyal consumers. Taking control of the discourse on our own terms is at the heart of intellectual decolonization. This requires using our way of thinking. which is far deeper than merely producing our content. My entire body of work emanates from the underlying paradigms, frameworks, and theoretical models I enjoy building.
About The Book
The Battle for Consciousness Theory: A Response to Ken Wilber's Appropriation of Sri Aurobindo's Work and Other Indian Thought is a compelling and meticulous account of the digestion and subversion of the work of one of India's greatest sages - Sri Aurobindo. The book uncovers the systematic co-opting of Sri Aurobindo's seminal ideas by the American theorist, Ken Wilber and their reformulation into his own 'Integral Theory'. Based on extensive research spanning a quarter century, the book provides deep insights into the developments that shaped (and distorted) the Aurobindonian discourse in recent decades. It discusses the ramifications of the enhancement of Western Universalism at the expense of Vedic and other Indian traditions, while analyzing certain limitations in Wilber's work.
Hindu (1765)
Philosophers (2327)
Aesthetics (317)
Comparative (66)
Dictionary (12)
Ethics (44)
Language (350)
Logic (80)
Mimamsa (58)
Nyaya (134)
Psychology (497)
Samkhya (60)
Shaivism (66)
Shankaracharya (233)
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