Carl Olson

"This study is a welcome addition to the discipline of comparative philosophy. In a unique scholarly undertaking, classical as well as contemporary Indian philosophies and their authors engage in a hermeneutical dialogue with western postmodernism." "The book takes as its central theme the cornerstone of postmodern thought: its attack on rationality and representational modes of thinking, and its radical questioning of the place of reason in philosophy. The theme is informed and developed through a cross-cultural exchange on a number of subjects. These range from desire, suffering, abjection, and death to the nature of being and the self, and the nature of language and writing. Thus, on the subject of desire for example, the Upanisads and Nikaya Buddhism come into contact with Deleuze and Guattari, while the discussion of language and writing sets Derrida against early Buddhism and Abhinavagupta." "Carl Olson brings a variety of thinkers and divergent traditions of thought into a debate which serves to remind us that classical Indian philosophy is not a dead cultural artifact, but has enduring intellectual value. A significant contribution to the field of comparative philosophy in India and abroad, this book will be read with great interest by students and scholars of philosophy, as well as the general reader interested in Indian and Western thought."--BOOK JACKET.

"After a review of Eliade's life, this work considers the scientific possibilities of his methodology within the context of recent contributions of selected philosophers of science, and examines the fore-structure of his hermeneutics by comparing it to the deconstructive position of Derrida. It is argued that the key to understanding his theological reflections is the role of nostalgia, and how it is reflected in his notion of cosmic Christianity. Eliade's theological thoughts are also compared with the post-modern a/theology of Taylor. After a discussion of the ecumenical and dialogical spirit of the history of religions, a discussion of his theory of language and myth helps one to understand how myth plays a salvific role in his work. And since myths and symbols reveal Being, it is necessary to consider Eliade's theory of archaic ontology and to apply a verification test by comparing his theory with the world-views of some tribal religions and the anti-ontological stance of a post-modernist thinker."--BOOK JACKET. "In order to elucidate the peculiarities of Eliade's theory of power, his theory is compared with that of Gerardus van der Leeuw, the Dutch historian of religion, and Michel Foucault, a post-modern historian. Likewise, this work compares Eliade's view of time with those of Augustine, Hegel and Foucault. Finally, the importance of the symbolism of the centre for his personal quest for truth is examined."--BOOK JACKET.