Bhikhu Parekh

Superb introduction to the life, work and thought of Mahatma Gandhi, covering a lot in 140 pages with considerable depth. Parekh starts with a brief overview of Gandhi's life, devotes most of the book to a variety of his ideas (human nature, our position in and relation to nature, cosmic spirit, views on modern society, industrialization, various forms of political government, social justice, to name a few) and how they shaped his activism and the practice of satyāgraha, and concludes with show more Gandhi's legacy and main strengths and weaknesses of his thought.

"Thanks to his passionate commitment to a non-violent vision of human life, Gandhi challenged conventional wisdom, broke through traditional categories of thought, stretched the boundaries of imagination in all areas of life, and opened up new philosophical and practical possibilities. Gandhi’s questions demand answers. And if we reject his answers, as we are bound to do in several cases, we need to provide alternative answers. He requires us to think afresh about things we have long taken for granted, and therein lies his greatest contribution and true originality."

I couldn't agree more. show less

This is a short but interesting and wide-ranging interview-book on the life, work, and the ideas of Bhikhu Parekh, the political theorist and the author of the "Parekh Report" on multiculturalism in the UK. Among the topics and issues discussed herein include: the life of Mr. Parekh, multiculturalism and pluralism in 21st century Britain, the contemporary intellectual climate in India, today's relevance of Gandhi, political philosophy, Indian identity in Britain, and the limits of classical show more liberal thought. Part journalism and part scholarly work, Mr. Parekh's answers to the questions of modernity crises are lucid and are unique. show less

By an academic, for academics, using academic argument forms, and with an academics meanness of spirit. Although there's a lot to interest the general reader I had trouble getting past the formulaic "There are n theories of x; all are defective; n 1 is correct and is mine."

[a:Parekh|263768|Parekh|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg] argues that conflicts between subcultures in a society are only resolved in circumstances that allow the cultures to argue according to show more their own logic, but then assumes throughout the existence of a vague transcendent realm of reason whereby claims can be adjudicated.

I'm reading [a:Kymlicka|17957|Will Kymlicka|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg] in search of better exposition. show less

Although the book has a lot to offer an educated reader, the book is by an academic, written for academics, is written in an academic language with academic rhetorical flourishes and what seems to be an academic's meanness of spirit. Parekh certainly contributes to the discussion of how liberal democracies might evolve to become multicultural rather than assimilationist, most of us general readers will close this book long before we assimilate much. I read the last half very, very fast.

Look show more elsewhere, in short. show less