I think about language, meaning, and knowledge. Specifically, I think about these topics by engaging with classical Indian philosophers as well as contemporary Anglophone (analytic) philosophers.
Academic Research
Academic Research
If you are a scholar needing citeable copies of any of my materials for your research and are unable to afford or access them, please email me.
- "Knows-Knows in Mīmāṃsā: Pārthasārathi and Kumārila on svataḥ prāmāṇya" (accepted, forthcoming). Philosophy East and West.
- Controversial Reasoning in Indian Philosophy: Major Texts and Arguments on Arthâpatti. (2020). Bloomsbury Academic Publishing.
- Language, Meaning, and Use in Indian Philosophy: An Introduction to Mukula's "Fundamentals of the Communicative Function." (2019). Bloomsbury Academic Publishing.
- NDPR review of the book, Brandon Gillon, 21 Feb 202
- Swarajya review of Language, Meaning, and Use in Indian Philosophy
- "Metaphor or Delusion? A Mīmāṃsaka's Response to Conceptual Metaphor Theory." (2019). Philosophy East and West. doi: 10.1353/pew.0.0172
- "(Close) the Door; the King (is Going): The Development of Elliptical Resolution in Bhāṭṭa Mīmāṃsā." (2017). Journal of Indian Philosophy 45:5, pp. 911-938.
- "Metonymy and Metaphor as Verbal Postulation: The Epistemic Status of Non-Literal Speech in Indian Philosophy'.' (2017) Journal of World Philosophies 2:1.
- "How Do We Gather Knowledge through Language?'' with Elisa Freschi. (2017). Journal of World Philosophies 2:1.
- Thinking about Embedded Metaphors." (2015). Journal of Pragmatics 88, pp.19-26.
- "The Cow is to Be Tied Up: Sort-Shifting in Classical Indian Philosophy." (2013). History of Philosophy Quarterly 30:4, pp.331-332.
- "Mukulabhaṭṭa’s Defense of Lakṣaṇā: How We Use Words to Mean Something Else, but Not Everything Else." (2013). Journal of Indian Philosophy 41:4, pp. 439-461.
- "Pramāṇa.'' (forthcoming). Invited contribution to The Encyclopedia of Philosophy of Religion, eds. Stewart Goetz and Charles Taliaferro, Wiley-Blackwell.
- "The Literal/Non-Literal Distinction in Indian Philosophy," The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (Winter 2016 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.).
- "Epistemology (Pramāṇas)" with Matthew R. Dasti. (2016). Oxford Bibliographies Online, Hinduism.
Teaching
Teaching
Students interested in an independent study with me, please send an email describing the topic and including a list of potential readings.
Common Curriculum
Independent Studies
Yale-NUS (2015-present)
Philosophy Electives- Analogical Reasoning & Metaphor (3000 level)
- Classical Indian Philosophy of Language (3000 level)
- Classical Indian Philosphy (2000 level)
- Debate and Reasoning in Indian Philosophy (3000 level)
- Doing Things with Words (4000 level)
Common Curriculum
- Historical Immersion course: Hinduism, Nationalism, and the Bhagavad Gita in the 20th century (3000 level)
- Philosophy and Political Thought 1 (1000 level)
- Philosophy and Political Thought 2 (1000 level)
Independent Studies
- Introduction to Analytic Philosophy of Language
- Fiction and Fictionalism
- Sanskrit Language
- Vasubandhu's Triṃśikā or Thirty Verses (on Consciousness-Only)
Public
Philosophy
Public
Philosophy
Podcasts: freely available for reuse in the classroom with attribution.
Articles, Blog Posts, & Interviews
Articles, Blog Posts, & Interviews
- "In Nyāya philosophy only some debates are worth having," Psyche December 2, 2020.
- "The Aesthetic Ingredients of Holiday Romance," PEA Soup, November 30, 2020
- 316am Magazine Interview
- Occasional blogging at the Indian Philosophy Blog, a group scholarly blog.
- Infrequent blogging at my personal blog, Śābdabodhaḥ.
Book Reviews
Book Reviews
If you are a scholar needing citeable copies of any of my materials for your research and are unable to afford or access them, please email me.
- ShashiPrabha Kumar, “Categories, Creation and Cognition in Vaiśeṣika Philosophy,” Journal of Comparative Literature and Aesthetics, Vol. 43, No. 1., 139-141.
- Ethan Mills’ “Three Pillars of Skepticism in Classical India: Nāgārjuna, Jayarāśi, and Śrī Harṣa.” Journal of Dharma Studies (50). Published online 31 August 2019
- Keya Maitra's “The Philosophy of the Bhagavad Gītā: Contemporary Introduction.” Philosophy East & West. 69(3). doi: 10.1353/pew.2019.0075
- Roy Tzohar's “A Yogācāra Buddhist Theory of Metaphor.” Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. August 2018.
- Amber Carpenter’s “Indian Buddhist Philosophy.” Philosophy East & West. 65(4) October 2015.
- Christopher G. Framarin's “Desire and Motivation in Indian Philosophy. Routledge Hindu Studies.” Journal of the American Oriental Society. 133(1)160-62.
Work In Progress
Work In Progress
- Early Nyāya philosophy and its contemporary relevance (book)
- The epistemology of comparison in Kumārila Bhaṭṭa (book)
- The epistemology of retracted judgments in Bhāṭṭa Mīmāṃsā (paper)
- Fallacies as defensive argumentative strategy in Vācaspati Miśra (paper)
For information about work in progress, email me.