Ethics Ethics: In Ethics the Charvaka regards sensual pleasure as the summum bonum Of life. Eat, drink and be merry, for once the body is reduced to ashes, there is no hope of coming back here again. There is no other world. There is no soul surviving death. Religion is the means of livelihood of … Read more
Metaphysics Metaphysics: The Charvaka admits the existence of four elements — earth, water, fire and air — only and he rejects the fifth, the ether, because it is not perceived but inferred. Similarly, soul and God and the Hereafter are rejected. Everything which exists, including the mind, is due to a particular combination of these … Read more
EPISTEMOLOGY EPISTEMOLOGY: The epistemological doctrine of the Charvaka school is that perception ( pratyaksa ) is the only means of valid knowledge. The validity even of inference is rejected. Inference is said to be a mere leap in the dark. We proceed here from the known to the unknown and there is no certainty in … Read more
JAINISM JAINISM: The word Jainism is derived from ‘Jina’ which means ‘ conqueror ’— one who has conquered his passions and desires. It is applied to the liberated souls who have conquered passions and desires and karmas and obtained emancipation. The Jainas believe in 24 Tirthankaras or ‘ Founders of the Faith ’ through whom … Read more
MATERIALISM MATERIALISM: The school of Materialism in India seems to be very old. References are found to it in the epics and in the early Buddhistic literature. Garbe says ; ‘ Several vestiges show that even in the pre-Buddhistic India proclaimers of purely materialistic doctrines appeared. It must have arisen as a protest against the … Read more