ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents the writings of Rabindranath Tagore, the main philosophical themes discussed by this remarkable Indian man of letters. It offers the essentially spiritual inspiration for and orientation of Tagore's philosophy and the issue is addressed of the extent to which he was a philosopher at all. The book provides a brief account of Tagore's long, full and varied life and it shows that there is no doubt that Tagore offers people an original vision of the world, that his poetry and his prose are an exercise in world-disclosure. It identifies three dimensions to Tagore's conception or ideal of spiritual harmony: interpersonal human solidarity; kinship with nature; and self-integrity through artistic creativity. The book examines Tagore's account of the relationship between human beings and the natural world.
