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Routledge
232 Pages
by
Routledge
224 Pages
by
Routledge
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Desireless action is typically cited as a criterion of the liberated person in classical Indian texts. Contemporary authors argue with near unanimity that since all action is motivated by desire, desireless action is a contradiction. They conclude that desireless action is action performed without certain desires; other desires are permissible.
In this book, the author surveys the... Read more
Introduction 1. Four Interpretations of Desireless Action 2. Desireless Action in the Yogasutra 3. The Desire for Moksha 4. Unselfish Desires 5. Desireless Action in the Manusmrti 6. Desireless Action in the Nyayasutra and Brahmasiddhi 7. A Defense of Desireless Action. Conclusion
Biography
Christopher G. Framarin is Assistant Professor in the Departments of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Calgary, Canada. His areas of research are Indian philosophy, philosophy of religion, and ethics.
"Christopher Framarin has spent many years analyzing the problem of niskāma karma or desireless action in Indian philosophy as evidenced by his many papers on the topic. The results of these papers are gathered into his book, Desire and Motivation in Indian Philosophy, which presents a sustained defense of the doctrine from multiple perspectives. Its philosophical depth and sophisticated argument notwithstanding, Framarin’s work is lucid, persuasive, and well-executed...this is an important book that will likely generate significant interest in the Gītā’s philosophy of action both among analytic philosophers and in the wider tradition of Western philosophy." -- Joydeep Bagchee, Philosophy East & West Volume 61, Number 4 October 2011 707–717
