Akademik

(1888–1975)

Indian philosopher and statesman. Born in Southern India, Radhakrishnan held chairs of philosophy at various universities, before becoming professor of Eastern religions and ethics at Oxford, and eventually President of India. His philosophical work is an interpretation and defence of a modernized Hinduism, based on the Vedas, and drawing especially on the school of Shankara . However, Radhakrishnan managed to preserve the concept of a personal god, frequently abandoned in Indian theology, as well as the concept of a single personal self. His works are remembered more for their eclecticism and plea for toleration in religious matters than for their philosophical originality. They include the two-volume Indian Philosophy (1923–7), and Eastern Traditions and Western Thought (1939).