Studies in Philosophy: Volumes I & II Bound in One

These Studies in Philosophy represent all the published and only a few unpublished writings of Krishnachandra Bhattacharyya. This published writing dates back to 1908, but his characteristic philosophical position assumes a definite shape in his writings during the year 1928-36. The publications of the period outnumber and far outweigh those that fall during the previous twenty years. Of the twenty-one tracts published first in two separate Volumes, which in this edition appear as bound together in one, fourteen belong to this period, the others covering the previous years. Prof. Bhattacharyya had a deep study of ancient Indian Philosophy, particularly Advaita Vedanta, Sankhya, Yoga and Jain Philosophies. Vol. I. contains Prof. Bhattacharyya's constructive interpretation of these systems. He was also well-versed in classical German Philosophy, particularly that of Kant. His vast and deep study provided the intellectual background in the light of which his profoundly original mind could go on with the work of construction. He constructed a new system of his own which however is not easy to comprehend. Vol. II contains all the basic writings in which Prof. Bhattacharyya's philosophy has been formulated. In the Introduction to this Volume, the Editor has usefully analysed the Author's philosophical position in some detail.

About the Author(s)

KRISHANCHANDRA BHATTACHARYYA was born on 12^th May 1875.  He graduated with triple Honours in 1896 and was awarded the P.R.S. of Calcutta University in 1901.  His academic record during the School and College periods was uniformly excellent.

Bhattacharyya joined the Education Department of the Government of Bengal as a lecturer in Philosophy in 1898 and after serving with great distinction as a teacher of Philosophy in about all the Government colleges of Bengal,   he retired in 1930.  He joined the Indian Institute of Philosophy at Amalner as its Director and remained there from 1933 to 1935.  He was the George V Professor of Mental & Moral Philosophy at the Calcutta University from 1935 to 1937. He died on 11^th December 1940.

Prof. Bhattacharyya possessed a profoundly original mind and an acute analytical intellect.  He will always be held in high esteem by successive generations of thinkers for his significant contribution to Philosophy.

These ‘Studies in Philosophy’ represent all the published and only a few of the unpublished philosophical writings of Krishnachandra Bhattacharyya. There remains an immense mass of manuscripts which will, perhaps, remain unpublished for all time to come.

The present volumes comprise the following tracts: -

Vol. I

1. Studies in Vedantism (Published in 1907)
2. 2. Sankara’s doctrine of Maya ( ,, 1925)
3. The Advaita and its spiritual significance ( ,, 1936)
4. Studies in Samkhya Philosophy (Unpublished)
5. Studies in Yoga Philosophy ( ,)
6. The Jaina theory of Anekanta (Published in 1925)
7. The Concept of Rasa (Unpublished)

Vol. II

1. The Subject as Freedom (Published in 1930)
2. The Concept of Philosophy ( , 1936)
3. The Concept of the Absolute and its alternative forms ( ,, 1934)
4. Studies in Kant (Unpublished)
5. Some aspects of negation (Published in 1914)
6. The place of the indefinite in Logic (,, 1916)
7. Definition of ‘Relation’ as a category of existence (Unpublished)
8. Fact and thought of fact (Published in 1931)
9. Knowledge and Truth (,, 1928)
10. Correction of error as a logical process (1931)
11. The false and the subjective (1932)
12. The objective interpretation of percept and image (1936)
13. The Concept of Value (1934)
14. The Reality of the Future (Unpublished)

Each of the above tracts is preceded by an Analysis. The first one was made by the author himself and the others have been done by the editor. Of the footnotes those marked in numerals are by the editor.

In presenting these studies the editor is happy to offer his most grateful thanks to the enterprising publisher. Sree Sushil Kumar Basu, the proprietor of Messrs. Progressive Publishers. It was he who very generously volunteered to undertake the publication of the book and see it through the press.

My warm thanks are also due to Professor G. R. Malkani. the Director of the Indian Institute of Philosophy, Amalner (Bombay) for his ready permission to reprint ‘The Subject as Freedom’ which was originally published by the Institute; to Dr S. Radhakrishnan and Messrs. George Allen & Unwin Ltd. for their kind permission to reprint from their- ‘Contemporary Indian Philosophy’ the essay ‘‘[he Concept of Philosophy’; and to the R. K. Mission for their permission to reprint ‘The Advaita and its spiritual significance’ which first appeared in their ‘Cultural Heritage of India’. The editor is also obliged to a pupil of his and to his daughter for their assistance in preparing the copy for the press.

It is very much regretted that a number of typographical errors have crept in spite of earnest endeavours to avoid them. In the ‘Errata’ at the end of the volume, only the major errors have been listed and corrected.

The second volume of Studies in Philosophy is now presented after about twenty months since the issue of the first volume. For this inordinate delay, the Editor alone is responsible. The Publisher tried his level best to expedite the publication, but owing to a number of circumstances which were beyond the control of the Editor, it was not found possible to bring it out at an earlier date.

This volume contains the fourteen tracts mentioned in the Preface to Vol. I, but in a slightly varied order. As in the case of the other volume, the order is not a chronological one.

In (I) The Subject as Freedom, the author works out his conception of Spiritual Psychology and the theory of the subject as freedom and attempts to trace out the progressive stages of cognitional freedom. In (2) The Concept of Philosophy we have an analysis of the nature of philosophy and the conception of Philosophy as symbolic thinking not amounting to knowledge. (3) The Concept of the A absolute and its Alternative Forms elaborates the doctrine of the original absolute. (4) In Knowledge and Truth, we have an analysis of the distinctive level of consciousness occupied by the theory of knowledge and of the theory of the mutual implication of knowledge and truth. (5) Fact and Thought of Fact attempts to give a definition of fact without assuming any fact and seeks to establish the position that fact does not admit of an impersonal definition. (6) In Correction of Error as a Logical Process, the author develops the Advaita theory of illusion and emphasises that correction is an epistemic function without any unitary logical content and that falsity has no reference to the time- position of cognition. In (7) The False and the Subjective, the author elaborates the thesis that the false and the subjective imply one another. In (8) Some Aspects of Negation, the author presents a nonsubjectivistic interpretation of the position that ‘truth is manifold’ and tries to establish that there are radically different types of logic based on incommensurable views of negation. (9) Place of the bide finite in Logic lays down the thesis that the indefinite is not merely a subjective entity and that logic should find a place for the absolute indefinite.

(10) In the Definition of Relation as a Category of Existence, an attempt has been made to formulate a definition of ‘relation’ in purely objective terms as against the subjectivistic interpretation of Green and others. In (II) Objective Interpretation of the Percept and Image, an attempt has been made to translate the subjective terms ‘perceived’ and ‘un-perceived’ into objective terms. (12) In Reality of the Future the author develops the thesis that the reality of the future expected on a known ground cannot be said to be an object of knowledge and that the future is real only to will and to faith. (13) The Concept of Value gives an analysis of the concept of value in its different forms and establishes the position that value is absolute and that speaking ability of value as information is a necessary illusion. (l4) The Studies in Kant gives us a speculative interpretation of a number of Kantian themes. As with the other constructive interpretations contained in Vol. I, we have here also quite a large number of improvisations.

In the Introduction to this volume, the Editor has made an attempt to analyse the major philosophical doctrines of Krishnachandra Bhattacharyya. The analysis has been done, as far as possible, in the author’s own words. This is for two reasons: first, the Editor was not sure that he had got at the exact logic of Krishnachandra’s writings in a large number of places; secondly, and this is to some extent connected with the first, he felt that his own language was far less effective and elegant than that of the author, even when the latter’s manner of presentation was quite thoroughly severe.

The Editor regrets that he has not been able to capture the inspiration or the insight that saturates almost all the writings of his father. It is because of this that he has all along felt that it was presumptuousness on his part to have undertaken this editorial work.

The Editor feels that he would be failing in gratitude if he did not emphasise that all the credit for this publication belongs to his friend, Sri Sushil Kumar Basu of Progressive Publishers. The under- taking would never have been completed but for his unfailing generosity, constant encouragement and spirit of dedication.