The Disinterested Witness: A Fragment of Advaita Vedanta Phenomenology

by Bina Gupta

The Disinterested Witness is a detailed, contextual, and interpretive study of the concept of saksin (or that which directly or immediately perceives) in Advaita Vedanta, and a fascinating and significant comparison of the philosophies of the East and West. Addressing a wide range of epistemological dilemmas, as well as perceived commonalities and differences between Eastern and Western philosophy, it is a major contribution to comparative philosophy and forms a vantage point for cross-cultural comparison.

Genres: Philosophy, India

236 pages, Paperback

First published June 10, 1998

Reviews

[Salvatore Familia]

The Disinterested Witness is a detailed, contextual, and interpretive study of the concept of saksin (or that which directly or immediate perceives) in Advaita Vedanta, and a significant comparison of the philosophies of the East and West. Central to its topic is its comparison of the Advaita notion of the witness-consciousness with similar notions in Western phenomenology. Gupta explores the phenomenology relevance of the concept of saksin in Indian philosophy, while at the same time demonstrating that the notion of the witness-consciousness is essential for any sound theory of knowledge. Addressing a wide range of epistemological issues and dilemmas, as well as the perceived commonalities and differences between eastern and western philosophy, "The Disinterested Witness" is a major contribution to comparative philosophy, and forms a vantage point for cross-cultural comparison.