ABSTRACT
While the standard Western taxonomy of disciplines separates out philosophical and religious thinking, Indian history shows us a culture in which reason and religion were tied together through certain shared themes and methods that are explored in this chapter. Springing from a common root in early traditions of cosmology and self-reflection, both philosophy and religion placed special value on the tasks of explaining reality, and both sought to hone the capacities of the thinking self. As India’s scholastic culture grew they shared standards for rational argumentation, and good reasoning became the calling card of authoritative philosophers and theologians alike. Indeed, one might argue that the figure of the deftly self-controlled thinker became a spiritual hero in many Indian traditions. Here we trace these shared impulses of philosophy and religion in India, as well as the social conditions and literary tropes through which both evolved together. We also look at the way in which India’s distinctive ‘sceptical religions’, such as Buddhism, led to a shared awareness of the limits of reason.
