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term "philosophy" was not called to the attention of readers in any compelling way, either by the editors or by Clooney himself. However, now that a full-length book on Theology After Vedanta is being published in the Toward a Comparative Philosophy of Religions Series, some further comment seems to be in order. |
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This is not the place to embark on an extended discussion (either descriptive or normative) of the highly complex relationships between philosophy in the narrower sense of the term, and closely related forms of theology. At least one such discussion will be included in an essay that will appear in a collection of essays entitled Religion and Practical Reason that will be published in the Series in late 1993. In the present context, a few comments directly related to Clooney's book will have to suffice. |
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In the present volume, Clooney insists on emphasizing the theological character of his study in order to highlight two very important dimensions of his argument. The first has to do with his interpretation of the Indian Advaita (Non-Dualist) texts that constitute his most important primary sources. The second has to do with his own intellectual identity, and with the closely correlated method of comparative study which he proposes and implements. The issues involved are not minor. They go to the very heart of the highly original and extremely important contributions that Clooney makes to Indological studies on the one hand, and to the theory and practice of comparison on the other. |
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In most of the best known modern scholarship on Sankara and the Advaita tradition in India, the emphasis has been placed on philosophy in the narrow sense noted above. Given this intellectual background, one of the major achievements of Clooney's book is to show, beyond any doubt, that classical Advaita writings in general, and the work of Sankara in particular, are thoroughly theological. To be more specific, Clooney demonstrates that the Advaita text(s) are deeply and inextricably embedded in a tradition in which the theological authority of pre-existing Vedic scriptures is strongly and consistently affirmed. Clooney goes on to highlight the fact that the Advaitins in general, and Sankara in particular, have formulated their teachings and marshalled their arguments in a genre of theological |
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