This book examines the figure of the public intellectual through the work of Emile Zola in the Dreyfus Affair. It analyses Zola's famous letter "J'Accuse" supporting Alfred Dreyfus and its philosophical and political consequences for the intellectual world, including Indian public intellectuals. The volume is an examination of the critical role which can be played by public intellectuals today by referring to the "J'Accuse" model and an homage to the ideal of living decently and truthfully through the exercise of critical reason and moral excellence. Accessible and comprehensive, the book will be essential reading for students of philosophy and critical reasoning. It will be of interest to general readers as well.

This book examines Gandhi's idea of Swaraj as an alternative to the modern concept of political authority. It also introduces the readers with Gandhi's ideas of moral interconnectedness and empathetic pluralism. It explores the Gandhian belief that 'nonviolence' as a moral and political concept is essentially the empowerment of the Other through spiritual and political realization of the self as a non-egocentric subject. Further, it highlights Swaraj as an act of conscience and therefore a transformative force, essential to the harmony between spirituality and politics. The volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of philosophy, politics and South Asian Studies.

This book highlights the problem of one-dimensional, reductionistic life of the modern individual. An expression of crisis in our world, it discusses the imperative need to have a more comprehensive, non-reductionist life where the Other is incorporated, especially the relationship between the Other and the Self, based on virtues like love, empathy, equality, and compassion. The volume sheds light on how the world has forgone the art of living for a mutilated sense of well-being, the rise of conformity and complacency in human thought, and the lack of democratic dissent and citizenry responsibility in our contemporary societies, which is now characterized by mass immaturity, propelled by a process of thoughtlessness. It discusses how humans need to be aware of the life they lead, to think about Otherness of the Other not just as another virtue but also as a crucial element in the survival of humanity, for people to coexist with the world around them as equals. Furthermore, it advocates meaningful and thoughtful existence, in touch with the Nature we coexist with, to ensure that humanity is not robbed of its noble spirit as we live to survive in our techno-capitalist societies. An introspective read, this book will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of moral and ethical philosophy, political philosophy, and political science.

This book highlights the problem of one-dimensional, reductionistic life of the modern individual. An expression of crisis in our world, it discusses the imperative need to have a more comprehensive, non-reductionist life where the Other is incorporated, especially the relationship between the Other and the Self, based on virtues like love, empathy, equality, and compassion. The volume sheds light on how the world has forgone the art of living for a mutilated sense of well-being, the rise of conformity and complacency in human thought, and the lack of democratic dissent and citizenry responsibility in our contemporary societies, which is now characterized by mass immaturity, propelled by a process of thoughtlessness. It discusses how humans need to be aware of the life they lead, to think about Otherness of the Other not just as another virtue but also as a crucial element in the survival of humanity, for people to coexist with the world around them as equals. Furthermore, it advocates meaningful and thoughtful existence, in touch with the Nature we coexist with, to ensure that humanity is not robbed of its noble spirit as we live to survive in our techno-capitalist societies. An introspective read, this book will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of moral and ethical philosophy, political philosophy, and political science.

* This volume examines the philosophy of Albert Camus through his concept of 'decivilization'* It Will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of Western literature, especially French, and Western Philosophy.* Albert Camus won the Nobel Prize for literature.

This book examines the figure of the public intellectual through the work of Emile Zola in the Dreyfus Affair. It analyses Zola's famous letter "J'Accuse" supporting Alfred Dreyfus and its philosophical and political consequences for the intellectual world, including Indian public intellectuals. The volume is an examination of the critical role which can be played by public intellectuals today by referring to the "J'Accuse" model and an homage to the ideal of living decently and truthfully through the exercise of critical reason and moral excellence. Accessible and comprehensive, the book will be essential reading for students of philosophy and critical reasoning. It will be of interest to general readers as well.

In April 2006, Canadian-Iranian philosopher Ramin Jahanbegloo was waiting at the airport in Tehran for a flight to Brussels. He had arrived early, knowing he would be double-checked by security, something that had become almost routine for him. But on this day the routine was broken and missing his flight became the least of his worries.
Jahanbegloo was arrested and detained in solitary confinement in Iran's infamous Evin Prison.
Sorbonne-educated and an author of almost thirty books, he was a prominent promoter of intercultural dialogue, and a philosopher of non-violence in the tradition of Tolstoy and Gandhi. He was hardly someone to pose a threat to a country's security. Yet, the Iranian authorities accused him of spying.
A petition against his imprisonment was initiated, with Umberto Eco, Jurgen Habermas, and Noam Chomsky among the signatories. International organizations and human rights groups joined in; the media reported the case extensively. Without ever being officially charged, Jahanbegloo was finally released in August of that year.
This is his story.

This book maps the genesis and development of Gandhi's idea of non-violence. It traces the evolution of the message of peace from its first expressions in South Africa to Gandhi's later campaigns against British rule in India, most prominently the Salt March campaign of 1930. It argues that Gandhi's blueprint for change must be adopted in the present, as the world craters on the precipice of catastrophic climate change, and the threat of nuclear war hangs over our heads. A timely book for uncertain times, this work is a reminder of the value of peace in the 21st century. It will be of great interest to readers, scholars and researchers of peace and conflict studies, politics, philosophy, history and South Asian studies.

This book is a comparative study of Gandhi's philosophy and analyzes his relevance to modern political thought. It traces the intellectual origins of Gandhi's nonviolence as well as his engagement with Western thinkers - ancient as well as his contemporaries. The author discusses Gandhi's exchanges with eminent thinkers like Tolstoy and Thoreau, and looks at his vision of pluralism, democracy, and violence through the lens of philosophers like Hannah Arendt, Isaiah Berlin, and Cornelius Castoriadis. Further, it explores Gandhi's association with Abdul Ghaffar Khan and the Khilafat Movement. Finally, the book examines Gandhian thought in the light of his global followers like Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela. An invaluable resource for the contemporary mind, this book will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of politics, political thought, Gandhi studies, and philosophy.

This book maps the genesis and development of Gandhi's idea of non-violence. It traces the evolution of the message of peace from its first expressions in South Africa to Gandhi's later campaigns against British rule in India, most prominently the Salt March campaign of 1930. It argues that Gandhi's blueprint for change must be adopted in the present, as the world craters on the precipice of catastrophic climate change, and the threat of nuclear war hangs over our heads. A timely book for uncertain times, this work is a reminder of the value of peace in the 21st century. It will be of great interest to readers, scholars and researchers of peace and conflict studies, politics, philosophy, history and South Asian studies.

This book is a comparative study of Gandhi's philosophy and analyzes his relevance to modern political thought. It traces the intellectual origins of Gandhi's nonviolence as well as his engagement with Western thinkers - ancient as well as his contemporaries. The author discusses Gandhi's exchanges with eminent thinkers like Tolstoy and Thoreau, and looks at his vision of pluralism, democracy, and violence through the lens of philosophers like Hannah Arendt, Isaiah Berlin, and Cornelius Castoriadis. Further, it explores Gandhi's association with Abdul Ghaffar Khan and the Khilafat Movement. Finally, the book examines Gandhian thought in the light of his global followers like Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela. An invaluable resource for the contemporary mind, this book will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of politics, political thought, Gandhi studies, and philosophy.

This book interprets the ideas, thoughts and concepts that characterize the writings and philosophy of Albert Camus for our contemporary times. It investigates Camus' "revolted compassion" as an outsider and a philosopher-writer who in his own words believed in "creating dangerously". The author examines Camus' interventions on political, philosophical and moral questions, such as Algerian independence, capital punishment, ideological violence, nihilism in the context of his ideals of the absurd and revolt, and justice and liberty. Further, it goes on to provide an exhaustive analysis of Camus' critique of violence and his intellectual resistance to totalitarianism. Bringing together latest scholarship with an acute analysis of Albert Camus' philosophy, this sourcebook throws a powerful light on the intellectual foundations of the twentieth century and its relevance for the twenty-first. The book will be of interest to scholars of literature, philosophy and African Studies.

Revealing and enlightening, Conversations with Isaiah Berlin gives a close-up view of one of the foremost thinkers of our time An interview with the noted British philosopher and historian of ideas, conducted by the Iranian philosopher Jahanbegloo, which grew into a series of five conversations, comprising an intellectual memoir. They include Berlin's writings on historicism, pluralism and liberty as well as the ideas of thinkers such as Vico, Herder and Herzen. Berlin also speaks of his many friends and acquaintances amongst the important thinkers and artists of the twentieth century. Philosopher and leading proponent of liberal thinking, Isaiah Berlin has changed our sense of history and life. This new edition provides an excellent introduction to Berlin's thought.

A powerful book on the importance of committing to nonviolence. In this compact book, Ramin Jahanbegloo argues that the time has come for humanity to renew its political, economic, and cultural commitment to the idea of nonviolence. At the core of the work of such towering fighters against oppression as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, and Václav Havel, the idea of nonviolence still has much to teach us and much work to do in the ongoing fight for justice worldwide.

What do we mean by nonviolence? What can nonviolence achieve? Are there limits to nonviolence and, if so, what are they? These are the questions the Iranian political philosopher and activist Ramin Jahanbegloo tackles in his journey through the major political advocates of nonviolence during the 20th century. While nonviolent resistance has accompanied human culture from its earliest beginnings, and representations of nonviolence in Eastern religions like Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism are ubiquitous, it is only in 20th century that it emerged as a major preoccupation of figures such as Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Václav Havel. Focusing on examples of their way of thinking in different cultural, geographic and political contexts, from the Indian Independence Movement and US Civil rights and Anti-Apartheid movement to the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia and nonviolent protests in Tunisia, Iran, Serbia and Hong-Kong, Jahanbegloo explores why nonviolence remains relevant as a form of resistance against injustice and oppression around the world. With balanced readings of central players and events, this comparative study of a pivotal form of resistance written by accomplished scholar of Gandhi presents convincing reasons to commit to nonviolence, reminding us why it matters to the development of contemporary political thought.

Gandhi is revered as a historic leader, the father of Indian independence, and the inspiration for nonviolent protest around the world. But the importance of these practical achievements has obscured Gandhi's stature as an extraordinarily innovative political thinker. Ramin Jahanbegloo presents Gandhi the political theorist-the intellectual founder of a system predicated on the power of nonviolence to challenge state sovereignty and domination. A philosopher and an activist in his own right, Jahanbegloo guides us through Gandhi's core ideas, shows how they shaped political protest from 1960s America to the fall of the Berlin Wall and beyond, and calls for their use today by Muslims demanding change. Gandhi challenged mainstream political ideas most forcefully on sovereignty. He argued that state power is not legitimate simply when it commands general support or because it protects us from anarchy. Instead, legitimacy depends on the consent of dutiful citizens willing to challenge the state nonviolently when it acts immorally. The culmination of the inner struggle to recognize one's duty to act, Jahanbegloo says, is the ultimate "Gandhian moment." Gandhi's ideas have motivated such famous figures as Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, and the Dalai Lama. As Jahanbegloo demonstrates, they also inspired the unheralded Muslim activists Abul Kalam Azad and Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, whose work for Indian independence answers those today who doubt the viability of nonviolent Islamic protest. The book is a powerful reminder of Gandhi's enduring political relevance and a pioneering account of his extraordinary intellectual achievements.

What do we mean by nonviolence? What can nonviolence achieve? Are there limits to nonviolence and, if so, what are they? These are the questions the Iranian political philosopher and activist Ramin Jahanbegloo tackles in his journey through the major political advocates of nonviolence during the 20th century. While nonviolent resistance has accompanied human culture from its earliest beginnings, and representations of nonviolence in Eastern religions like Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism are ubiquitous, it is only in 20th century that it emerged as a major preoccupation of figures such as Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Václav Havel. Focusing on examples of their way of thinking in different cultural, geographic and political contexts, from the Indian Independence Movement and US Civil rights and Anti-Apartheid movement to the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia and nonviolent protests in Tunisia, Iran, Serbia and Hong-Kong, Jahanbegloo explores why nonviolence remains relevant as a form of resistance against injustice and oppression around the world. With balanced readings of central players and events, this comparative study of a pivotal form of resistance written by accomplished scholar of Gandhi presents convincing reasons to commit to nonviolence, reminding us why it matters to the development of contemporary political thought.

"As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison." - Nelson Mandela Upon his release from Iran's notorious Evin Prison, philosopher Ramin Jahanbegloo contemplated the words of Mandela as he grappled with demons arising from being unjustly imprisoned. He then began to wrestle with ideas of forgiveness versus revenge, and wondered if the politics of forgiveness could offer salvation in a world where revenge endangers the social and political fabric of our lives. "What is forgiveness, and how do we get there?" Jahanbegloo asks, in this follow-up to his internationally celebrated book Time Will Say Nothing: A Philosopher Survives an Iranian Prison. Prevailing upon the wisdom of the Ancients, the Dalai Lama, and other great thinkers, this meditation on forgiveness and revenge offers insights into building a more peaceful world during this time of nationalism and exclusion.

The concept of disobedient consciousness and the rebellious Socratic mind that grows out of this book is, above all, a product of Ramin Jahanbegloo's life meetings with the two apparently contradictory worlds of philosophy and politics. More precisely, it is the result of approaching the public realm in terms of a philosophical quest for truth and justice. This restless quest for truth and justice has a history that continues to bear upon us, however much we choose to ignore it. We can think about the current situation of philosophy by exploring that history. The image of Socrates represents a mid-point between politics and philosophy; the Socratic mind, exemplified by the presence of the public gadfly in history, finds itself at the beginning of a new struggle for truth. The journey to this struggle started with the trial of Socrates, followed by the experiences of Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Albert Camus. But the forging of the rebellious mind and the sustaining of the civic task of philosophy are goals which impose themselves to each of us whenever we are reminded by the urgency of critical thinking in our own dark times. The future of humankind necessarily requires convictions and commitments, but it also requires Socratic rebels, of the mind and of action, who have the courage to swim against the tide. Examining dissent in the history of philosophy, this book will appeal to scholars of political theory and political philosophy and to scholars and students of political and intellectual history.

Ramin Jahanbegloo develops the concept of compassion as a practical and ethical response to the problems of today’s world. Examining the power of compassion through the lens of multiple world religions, he explores ahimsa in Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism and neighbourly love in Christianity, before synthesizing the two concepts in the Gandhian theory of non-violence and its impact on Muslim and Christian thinkers such as Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Martin Luther King, Jr. Jahanbegloo considers the idea of a compassionate civilization based on the nonviolent democratic theory put forward by Gandhi with Swaraj, and completed by Martin Luther King, Jr. with the Beloved Community. By scrutinizing compassion in various religious and ethical traditions and exploring the relevance of homo fragilis, Jahanbegloo’s comparative approach enriches our understanding of nonviolence as a universal philosophy and practice for the 21st century. He shows that nonviolence is not only a mode of thinking and a way of life, but also a powerful strategy of social and political transformation.

In this book, a series of interviews offers an accessible, revealing, human and intellectual biography of leading Islamic scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr is one of the preeminent philosophers writing today. Sure to be a key resource for decades to come, In Search of the Sacred: A Conversation with Seyyed Hossein Nasr on His Life and Thought illuminates Nasr's experiences and shares his insights on topics from religion and philosophy to science and the arts. Based on a series of interviews, the book combines traditional autobiography with an exploration of the intellectual and spiritual trajectories of the author's thought during key periods of his life. In doing so, it presents a fascinating panorama, not only of the life and ideas of one man, but also of major events ranging from intellectual life in Iran during the Pahlavi period and the Iranian Revolution to some of the major religious and intellectual debates between Islam and modernism. Nasr writes that his "whole life has been a quest for the sacred." This work connects that quest with some of the most important issues of the day in encounters between Islam and the West.

Ramin Jahanbegloo develops the concept of compassion as a practical and ethical response to the problems of today’s world. Examining the power of compassion through the lens of multiple world religions, he explores ahimsa in Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism and neighbourly love in Christianity, before synthesizing the two concepts in the Gandhian theory of non-violence and its impact on Muslim and Christian thinkers such as Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Martin Luther King, Jr. Jahanbegloo considers the idea of a compassionate civilization based on the nonviolent democratic theory put forward by Gandhi with Swaraj, and completed by Martin Luther King, Jr. with the Beloved Community. By scrutinizing compassion in various religious and ethical traditions and exploring the relevance of homo fragilis, Jahanbegloo’s comparative approach enriches our understanding of nonviolence as a universal philosophy and practice for the 21st century. He shows that nonviolence is not only a mode of thinking and a way of life, but also a powerful strategy of social and political transformation.