ABSTRACT
Literature on Gandhi's political thought falls into two broad categories one that discusses his political philosophy, and the other, that focuses on his non-violent action and modes of dissent and the influence they have had on other non-violent movements. His experiments with Truth and non-violence not only present a critique of the presuppositions of modern civilization but bear testimony to the possibility of an alternative modernity. His analysis of the presuppositions of modern civilization and its inherently violent and self-destructive methods has gained prophetic overtones. It is in this context that the immense epistemological and methodological significance of Gandhi's insistence on the term experiment and emphasis on experiments with Truth comes to light. Firstly, he draws attention to the axiomatic nature of the law of non-violence. The entire attempt is to consider the presuppositions of peace in political theory and to establish institutions and methods of dissent following the method of non-violence in the context of the modern nation state.
