SILVER AND MOTHER-OF-PEARL: SOME COMMENTS ON PERCEPTION AND DOUBT IN PREMODERN SOUTH ASIA

Abstract

This paper addresses two primary topics, South Asian epistemology and intellectual history. It focuses on the epistemological theory of intrinsic validity (svataḥ prāmāṇya) of cognition presented by the 7th century South Asian philosopher Kumārila Bhaṭṭa and presents an intellectual historical account of some developments in the history of pre-modern South Asian epistemology. It attempts to present a historical account of this theory in relation to its own intellectual milieu—i.e. in relation to the tradition to which Kumārila belonged—as well as in relation to its opponents—i.e. to the 10th century Kashmirian philosopher Jayanta Bhaṭṭa. Additionally, this paper is committed to the presupposition that innovation does not occur in a vacuum and that only by paying close attention to texts and textual traditions can we gain a more nuanced understanding of the developments in pre-modern South Asian thought and philosophical traditions in particular.