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Indian Ideas of Freedom
'[A] work of great scholarship as well as of deep humanity' - From the Foreword by Ramachandra Guha
Indian Ideas of Freedom is an illuminating study of the lens through which freedom was perceived by thinkers such as Swami Vivekananda, Aurobindo Ghose, Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, B.R. Ambedkar, M.N. Roy and Jayaprakash Narayan. It examines how, for this 'group of seven', the pursuit of freedom was both individual and political; how their ideas and arguments, drawing heavily on indigenous cultural resources, were far from imitative and thus distinct. In that, it explores their contribution to an intellectual tradition that braced an extraordinary nationalist movement. And while the differences among these seven are apparent, their similarities are less recognized; they are presented here as parallel.
Dennis Dalton's reading of the extensive writings and speeches of these thinkers is critical but compassionate. Moreover, as James Tully observes in his Afterword to the book, Dalton 'participates in the dialogue' in which he places the theorists-a method of studying political thought Tully deems 'as original and important as the tradition of freedom it brings to light'.
This is an exemplary work about political thought for both the scholar and those interested in history and politics.
Indian Ideas of Freedom is an illuminating study of the lens through which freedom was perceived by thinkers such as Swami Vivekananda, Aurobindo Ghose, Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, B.R. Ambedkar, M.N. Roy and Jayaprakash Narayan. It examines how, for this 'group of seven', the pursuit of freedom was both individual and political; how their ideas and arguments, drawing heavily on indigenous cultural resources, were far from imitative and thus distinct. In that, it explores their contribution to an intellectual tradition that braced an extraordinary nationalist movement. And while the differences among these seven are apparent, their similarities are less recognized; they are presented here as parallel.
Dennis Dalton's reading of the extensive writings and speeches of these thinkers is critical but compassionate. Moreover, as James Tully observes in his Afterword to the book, Dalton 'participates in the dialogue' in which he places the theorists-a method of studying political thought Tully deems 'as original and important as the tradition of freedom it brings to light'.
This is an exemplary work about political thought for both the scholar and those interested in history and politics.
- GenresIndia
637 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 25, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 7, 2023
"There is such a thing as unity of being, and that the highest truth is when we manage, as individuals, to perceive oneself in all being. Once that is achieved, once the separateness is overcome, then illusions will be overwhelmed as well.” - Dannis Dalton.
This is update version of the the book with the same title in 1982. Initially professor Dalton had added only four thinkers in its previous version namely swami Vivekananda, Aurobindo Ghose, Mahatam Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore. In this updated version he also added thoughts of B.R. Ambedkar, MN Roy and Jayaprakash Narayan. These seven men have left a deep impact on Bharat intellectually. Dalton, in his book, calls then “School of Seven”.
Starting from Swami Vivekananda, author discusses ideas of all these men. According to Dalton, Vivekananda is the inspiration of majority of thoughts Indian thinkers developed on various issues. Freedom, Politics, Power, Society, nature of the Government, nature of man, liberty and equality. The key idea of the book is discussion on freedom, thoughts of all these seven thinkers are discussed deeply throughout this book.
Reading every thinker and their lifelong realisations on idea of freedom I came to know that freedom is not just about being free from the shackles of the slavery. Vivekananda, Gandhi and all these thinkers were not just talking about physical freedom of Bharat but also making every man free from inside too, thus freedom becomes not only a physical thing but also spiritual. Vivekananda, becomes a starting point for idea of freedom in this book. Connecting outside freedoms with the freedom within.
With spiritual side of freedom, this book also touches social side as well. Through Ambedkar we see that for his freedom has its own meaning. Through his thoughts we see that for his freedom means a society where everyone is treated equally. Although I found that there are only selective parts discussed in this book when it came to Ambedkar. Only his ideas on Buddhism, liberation of Dalits and his anti-Hindu stances are majorly discussed, not much is explored other than this. This is somewhere I guess this book fails, it only touches the similarities of ideas of these man and not their overall philosophy. However, nothing more can be expected under 500 pages.
There is more than this in the book, I think I will re read it to make a better judgment on it, this book served as a stepping stone for me into the philosophy of these great men of India. For more detailed review kindly visit my Instagram page.
Thank you for reading.
This is update version of the the book with the same title in 1982. Initially professor Dalton had added only four thinkers in its previous version namely swami Vivekananda, Aurobindo Ghose, Mahatam Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore. In this updated version he also added thoughts of B.R. Ambedkar, MN Roy and Jayaprakash Narayan. These seven men have left a deep impact on Bharat intellectually. Dalton, in his book, calls then “School of Seven”.
Starting from Swami Vivekananda, author discusses ideas of all these men. According to Dalton, Vivekananda is the inspiration of majority of thoughts Indian thinkers developed on various issues. Freedom, Politics, Power, Society, nature of the Government, nature of man, liberty and equality. The key idea of the book is discussion on freedom, thoughts of all these seven thinkers are discussed deeply throughout this book.
Reading every thinker and their lifelong realisations on idea of freedom I came to know that freedom is not just about being free from the shackles of the slavery. Vivekananda, Gandhi and all these thinkers were not just talking about physical freedom of Bharat but also making every man free from inside too, thus freedom becomes not only a physical thing but also spiritual. Vivekananda, becomes a starting point for idea of freedom in this book. Connecting outside freedoms with the freedom within.
With spiritual side of freedom, this book also touches social side as well. Through Ambedkar we see that for his freedom has its own meaning. Through his thoughts we see that for his freedom means a society where everyone is treated equally. Although I found that there are only selective parts discussed in this book when it came to Ambedkar. Only his ideas on Buddhism, liberation of Dalits and his anti-Hindu stances are majorly discussed, not much is explored other than this. This is somewhere I guess this book fails, it only touches the similarities of ideas of these man and not their overall philosophy. However, nothing more can be expected under 500 pages.
There is more than this in the book, I think I will re read it to make a better judgment on it, this book served as a stepping stone for me into the philosophy of these great men of India. For more detailed review kindly visit my Instagram page.
Thank you for reading.
August 26, 2023
As a liberty lover, I was drawn to this book as a fly to honey. Though this is a work of honest scholarship, I didn't get what I thought I would from this book.
In effect, I could glean the general thread and thesis of the book from the introduction without having to go through the entire book.
Though there were chapters I loved - Gandhi, Tagore and Vivekananda, the others left a sour aftertaste in my mind that persisted until the very end. In some respects, I wish Mr. Dalton had written this extended version with a little more reader-friendly style. At present, it reads like a patchwork of his thesis essay modified unsuitably into a piece of popular non-fiction.
Dalton, far from conveying the nuances of each individual thinker as I originally expected when picking up the book, has sought to bind his "Group of 7" in a unifying cord of a fixed idea of inward freedom. Wherever there are nuances and differences, it's ignored or shrugged under the carpet as beyond the scope of the book. In fact, he prefaces the book saying the "differences are apparent" but the similarities are not.
The central thesis of the book is to say : All the 7 thinkers converged on the idea that man's internal (moral and spiritual) freedom is more important than a hollow external freedom which may not solve the leading questions of ethics and politics within a society. The thrust is on moral and inward growth that leads into self-governing individuals who can shine and sustain as morally superior brings without the need for external political authority or law.
The book keeps coming back to this theme and is reminiscent of the thinkers themselves - focus on what unites us - We are all part of the One Divine absolute.
I fully appreciate the honesty and scholarship of Dennis Dalton but I cannot get myself to place this book as an enduring work that I'd return to.
Despite its broad titular claims of exposing Indian ideas of freedom, it becomes a selective aggregation of Indian thought in line with a particular common thread. I would've rated this book well but for its patchy writing and unappealing flow.
In effect, I could glean the general thread and thesis of the book from the introduction without having to go through the entire book.
Though there were chapters I loved - Gandhi, Tagore and Vivekananda, the others left a sour aftertaste in my mind that persisted until the very end. In some respects, I wish Mr. Dalton had written this extended version with a little more reader-friendly style. At present, it reads like a patchwork of his thesis essay modified unsuitably into a piece of popular non-fiction.
Dalton, far from conveying the nuances of each individual thinker as I originally expected when picking up the book, has sought to bind his "Group of 7" in a unifying cord of a fixed idea of inward freedom. Wherever there are nuances and differences, it's ignored or shrugged under the carpet as beyond the scope of the book. In fact, he prefaces the book saying the "differences are apparent" but the similarities are not.
The central thesis of the book is to say : All the 7 thinkers converged on the idea that man's internal (moral and spiritual) freedom is more important than a hollow external freedom which may not solve the leading questions of ethics and politics within a society. The thrust is on moral and inward growth that leads into self-governing individuals who can shine and sustain as morally superior brings without the need for external political authority or law.
The book keeps coming back to this theme and is reminiscent of the thinkers themselves - focus on what unites us - We are all part of the One Divine absolute.
I fully appreciate the honesty and scholarship of Dennis Dalton but I cannot get myself to place this book as an enduring work that I'd return to.
Despite its broad titular claims of exposing Indian ideas of freedom, it becomes a selective aggregation of Indian thought in line with a particular common thread. I would've rated this book well but for its patchy writing and unappealing flow.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews