ABSTRACT
There are a number of elements of Indian politics – from self-immolations after the death of a movie star in south India to willingness to die protecting an Ambedkar statue – that are often seen as being beyond reason. To explain the apparently inexplicable aspects of Indian politics, this chapter distinguishes between two often contradictory forms of reasoning that interact with each other in the Indian polity. At one end, we have the Inclusive reasoning of Gandhi with adequate room for doubt. At the other end, we have the Abstracted reasoning of those closer to modern logic, those who are uneasy with doubt and often assume it away. Each form of reasoning can result in ideation that the other considers irrational. The interaction of the two forms of reasoning in the Indian polity can thus generate seemingly anarchic situations, including those that sometimes pit legality against morality.
