Philosophy of Culture

Course Brief

Instructor: Dr. Vivek Dhareshwar

There is a branch of philosophy corresponding to each important domain and the discipline(s) covering that domain. Thus the philosophy of science deals with issues having to do with our understanding of nature: How do we form theories? How do we know they are true? Is scientific knowledge cumulative? What’s the nature of scientific explanations? The philosophy of language explores questions such as the relationship between thought and language, how language hooks on to the world, the nature of meaning and so forth. Similarly, logic, ethics, mind have all been, and still are, the subjects of intense and lively philosophical inquiry.

Surprisingly, culture—its existence, its, nature, its plurality, how we might study it—has never been subjected to philosophical inquiry, despite the fact that it poses so many compelling and fundamental questions that are so central to understanding ourselves. Part of the reason certainly has to do with the fact that some of the questions that culture gives rise to have been studied under different headings and in relation to different domains—for example the questions standardly thrown up by relativism, or by the debate on the difference between the natural and human sciences. They are not, however, the only or even the most interesting questions posed by culture.

Perhaps the most difficult phenomenon to understand is colonialism, which will be the focus of our inquiry. What is it and why is it unethical? What is the relationship, if any, between the description the West has provided of India (what we now call “orientalism”) and colonialism?

This course is meant to be an introduction to the broader themes pursued by this platform. It will therefore predominantly involve teaching, though the participants will still have several opportunities to engage in some inquiry, research and reflective writing even at this level. This course will prepare you for the other courses offered here.

Readings

Edward Said, Partha Mitter, M.K. Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Ludwig Wittgenstein, S.N. Balagangadhara, Bernard Williams, Frantz Fanon, Michel Foucault, Vivek Dhareshwar, Akeel Bilgrami

Assignments

Short reflective notes every week and end-term essay on a topic inspired by the course/reading (8-10pages).

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First batch begins on 1 April 2023

Pre-requisites: None.

Mode: Virtual sessions over Google or Zoom

Duration: Total 10 weeks – Meetings will be held once a week for 3 hours (To enable working folk to participate, the weekly meeting will take place on Saturdays, 5-8 pm).

Capacity: 8-10 participants per batch (if the current batch is full, you will be given details about upcoming intakes.)

Course Fees

Tiered fee structure depending on your income/ability:

Rs. 2,500/- for students
Rs. 5,000/- for doctoral researchers
Rs. 10,000/- for post-doc and professionals

If you are very keen on participating but cannot afford the fee, please write to Vivek at contact@indianslate.in

Payment details (UPI / bank transfer) will be sent over email after registration.