Classical Indian Philosophy

By Peter Adamson, Jonardon Ganeri,

Book cover of Classical Indian Philosophy

Book description

Peter Adamson and Jonardon Ganeri present a lively introduction to one of the world's richest intellectual traditions: the philosophy of classical India. They begin with the earliest extant literature, the Vedas, and the explanatory works that these inspired, known as Upanisads. They also discuss other famous texts of classical Vedic…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Classical Indian Philosophy as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Peter Adamson’s fantastic and long-running podcast A History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps is also a book series.

My favourite is the introduction to Indian thought, a subject that badly needed an accessible overview. Each chapter is a short taster on a major thinker or aspect of Indian philosophy, laced with Adamson’s trademark drollery. It begins with the ancient Vedas and encompasses Jain and Buddhist thought going up to the sixth century AD.

As someone brought up in the Western philosophical tradition, I found the explanations of Indian ideas thought-provoking and fascinating. 

Want books like Classical Indian Philosophy?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Classical Indian Philosophy.

Browse books like Classical Indian Philosophy

Book cover of Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia
Book cover of How the World Thinks: A Global History of Philosophy
Book cover of The Islamic Enlightenment: The Struggle Between Faith and Reason, 1798 to Modern Times

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,200

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in philosophy, Buddhism, and presidential biography?

Philosophy 1,771 books
Buddhism 303 books