ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that though many things Gandhi said and did are relevant to our contemporary predicaments, the most important part of the Gandhian legacy is the concept of ahimsa/non-violence. It seems clear that Gandhi’s life and writings presents a non-violent/ahimsanat and loving response to the ‘otherness’ of the different – frequently hostile – ‘other’. This ahimsanat response provides a powerful alternative to both liberal tolerance and non- ways of responding to difference in the contemporary world. Since the contemporary world is characterised chiefly by pluralism and difference, the relevance of Gandhian ahimsa and the gift of fearlessness to conflicting and hostile others seems apparent. This chapter will philosophically unpack the ahimsanat Gandhian response to different and differing ‘others’ across three sections. The first section is entitled ‘Ahimsa: to own kinship with those most distant from oneself’. It will discuss the terms invoked by Gandhi in connection with ahimsa-swabhava kinship love, compassion and the gift of fearlessness to all. The second section of this chapter, ‘Ahimsa and satya’, will explore the philosophical significance of the Gandhian connection between truth/satya and non-violence/ahimsa. The third section of chapter is entitled ‘To tolerate or to honour: liberalism and Gandhi’. This section will briefly examine the difference between Gandhi’s position on responding to difference with ahimsa and the liberal position on tolerance. The conclusion to the chapter will recapitulate the different strands in the argument.
