Lecture Me! The Edges of Being: Absence in Sanskrit Philosophy

Lecture Me! The Edges of Being: Absence in Sanskrit Philosophy

  • Ages 13+

Attend free monthly lectures by UTM faculty members as they highlight their research in a fun and approachable way.

By Mississauga Library

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Location

Hazel McCallion Central Library

301 Burnhamthorpe Road West Mississauga, ON L5B 3Y3 Canada

About this event

  • Event lasts 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Ages 13+

The Edges of Being: Absence in Sanskrit Philosophy with Professor Nilanjan Das from the Department of Philosophy.

Just as we see material objects like chairs and tables, we also seem to see absences—holes in cheese, shadows on the ground. But do absences exist over and above the positive material objects that surround them? In this talk, Professor Das will explore a debate in first-millennium South Asia about the nature and existence of absence (abhāva).

Professor Das focuses on Udayana (10th–11th century), an influential Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika philosopher, who defended non-reductionist realism. For him, absences like holes and shadows depend on positive entities but are nonetheless irreducibly real—no less so than material objects.

Can't attend the program in person? Attend via live stream. A link will be sent to all registrants before the program.

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Mississauga Library

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Free