Gandhi's Thought and Liberal Democracy
By (Author) Sanjay Lal
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Lexington Books
13th March 2019
United States
Professional and Scholarly
Non Fiction
Philosophy
East Asian and Indian philosophy
Hinduism
Philosophy of religion
Politics and government
954.035092
Hardback
134
Width 161mm, Height 229mm, Spine 16mm
376g
With an intense focus on both the depth and practicality of Mahatma Gandhis political and religious thought this book reveals the valuable insights Gandhi offers to anyone concerned about the prospects of liberalism in the contemporary world. Gandhis Religious Thought and Liberal Democracy makes the case that for Gandhi, in stark contrast to commonly accepted liberal orthodoxy, religion is indispensable to the public life, and indeed the official activity, of any genuinely liberal society. Gandhi scholars, political theorists, and activist members of a lay audience alike will all find much to digest, comment upon, and be motivated by in this work.
This book intelligently and perceptively explores the subtleties of Gandhis account of the place and functions of religion in civil society, including the public sphere, and in the State. At a time when these matters are much disputed between liberals and conservatives, Gandhis philosophical approach to them, Sanjay Lal shows convincingly, has much to offer by way of its sanity. -- Joseph Prabhu, California State University, Los Angeles
The broad audience will not be disappointed because Gandhi works are understood and described in a new a refreshing way and have real world applications those researching liberal democracies and for those living in liberal democracies. Lal challenges conventional wisdom while offering the reader a mature reading of Gandhis insights that are applicable to current problems of liberal democracies. It captures both the problems of liberal democracies and the maintains relevance of Gandhi for today, and for the future. -- Terry Beitzel, James Madison University
Sanjay Lal is senior lecturer of philosophy at Clayton State University.