TY - BOOK AU - Arnold,Daniel Anderson TI - Buddhists, brahmins, and belief: epistemology in South Asian philosophy of religion SN - 0231507798 AV - BQ4440 .A76 2005eb U1 - 121/.0954 22 PY - 2005/// CY - New York PB - Columbia University Press KW - Knowledge, Theory of (Buddhism) KW - Mimamsa KW - Mādhyamika (Buddhism) KW - Knowledge, Theory of KW - Théorie de la connaissance (Bouddhisme) KW - Mīmāmsā KW - Mādhyamika (Bouddhisme) KW - Théorie de la connaissance KW - epistemology KW - aat KW - PHILOSOPHY KW - Epistemology KW - bisacsh KW - RELIGION KW - Buddhism KW - General KW - fast KW - gnd KW - Madhjamika-Schule N1 - Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-305) and index; pt. 1: Buddhist Foundationalism -- pt. 2: The Reformed Epistemology of Purva Mimamsa -- pt. 3: The Metaphysical Arguments of Madhyamaka N2 - In Buddhists, Brahmins, and Belief, Dan Arnold examines how the Brahmanical tradition of Purva Mimamsa and the writings of the seventh-century Buddhist Madhyamika philosopher Candrakirti challenged dominant Indian Buddhist views of epistemology. Arnold retrieves these two very different but equally important voices of philosophical dissent, showing them to have developed highly sophisticated and cogent critiques of influential Buddhist epistemologists such as Dignaga and Dharmakirti. His analysis - developed in conversation with modern Western philosophers like William Alston and J.L. Austin - offers an innovative reinterpretation of the Indian philosophical tradition, while suggesting that pre-modern Indian thinkers have much to contribute to contemporary philosophical debates. In logically distinct ways, Purva Mimamsa and Candrakirti's Madhyamaka opposed the influential Buddhist school of thought that emphasized the foundational character of perception. Arnold argues that Mimamsaka arguments concerning the "intrinsic validity" of the earliest Vedic scriptures are best understood as a critique of the tradition of Buddhist philosophy stemming from Dignaga. Though often dismissed as antithetical to "real philosophy," Mimamsaka thought has affinities with the reformed epistemology that has recently influenced contemporary philosophy of religion. Candrakirti's arguments, in contrast, amount to a principled refusal of epistemology. Arnold contends that Candrakirti marshals against Buddhist foundationalism an approach that resembles twentieth-century ordinary language philosophy - and does so by employing what are finally best understood as transcendental arguments. The conclusion that Candrakirti's arguments thus support a metaphysical claim represents a bold new understanding of Madhyamaka UR - https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&AN=149707 ER -