Hindus and Dialogue: Implications of using Dialogic Structure in Expressing Philosophy
by Abhijit Mandal Ramesh Pattni – [ Journal of Dialogue Studies Vol 10 ]
Abstract
Dialogue has been a prominent device for the basis and structure of transmission of Indian and European (metaphysical) philosophical insights and thought. The impetus given by different models of dialogue (Peters & Besley 2021) in the Western tradition makes us ask – does the impact of a dialogue model on the evolution of society vary with its structure? To elucidate on this, the article identifies five infra-structural (essential) aspects that afford dialogue; it then examines three fundamental structural elements of dialogue (the nature of content, the medium of transmission and the accommodative capacity of the language used) and the choices in those three dimensions made therein to design a dialogue. Subsequently, the impact of different design choices actually made by the leading proponents of Indian and European philosophy are examined to understand their impact on the evolution of philosophy and philosophical traditions in these cultures. The impact on society of such evolution is left to the imagination of the intelligent reader.