The Hindu Philosophy Unit invites papers for its inaugural session, which will be devoted to the theme “Ways of Knowing.” Papers might address debates within the classical pramāṇa framework (e.g., the possibility of yogic perception, the problem of reflexive awareness, the reliability of verbal testimony, etc.), or they might suggest new topics and approaches (e.g., aesthetics and epistemology, embodied knowledge, religious experience, etc.). We welcome interpretive papers focusing on specific thinkers, texts, or schools, as well as critical papers assessing specific arguments or debates.
We also seek papers for a co-sponsored session (with Buddhist Philosophy and Philosophy of Religion) on “Religious Atheism.” The session aims to challenge the notion that atheism entails a rejection of religion; it also challenges the notion of Hinduism as theistic. Papers might explore (a) Hindu or Buddhist critiques of proofs for God's existence; (b) Hindu or Buddhist arguments for the non-existence of God; or (c) the religious dimensions of Hindu or Buddhist atheism. We hope to have two papers focusing on Buddhist materials and two papers exploring Hindu materials (e.g., early Mīmāṃsā or Sāṃkhya).