Alternative epistemologies in indigenous philosophy, and its contextualization in India

Abstract

The paper aims to explore the different avenues available in epistemological system building, and how these different avenues play out in the context of existing conditions and historical preconditions. It begins with a brief explication of what is understood by the terms “indigeneity” and “philosophy” to understand the conglomerate “indigenous philosophy”. This is done to avoid any confusion regarding the fundamentals of the discourse. The paper, then, proceeds to offer various critiques that can be found in the Western canon regarding philosophy that did not originate from Europe, specifically, the critiques and their deficiencies have been pointed out. The paper, then, tries to make an argument for the need of an alternative epistemology based on more equitable representation in different fields of knowledge.