"In The Virtue of Nonviolence, Nicholas F. Gier argues that virtue ethics is the best option for constructive postmodern philosophy and that Gandhi's own thought is best viewed in light of this tradition. He supports this position by formulating Gandhi's ethics of nonviolence as a virtue ethics, giving a Buddhist interpretation of Gandhi's philosophy, and presenting Gandhi as a constructive postmodern thinker. Also included is an assessment of the saints of nonviolence - Buddha, Christ, King, and Gandhi - and a charismatic theory of the nature of the saints."--BOOK JACKET.

Nicholas F. Gier is Professor of Philosophy and Coordinator of Religious Studies at the University of Idaho.

Acknowledgments

ix

Series Introduction

xi

Introduction

1

(7)

ONE Gandhi as a Postmodern Thinker

8

(20)

Gandhi as Premodernist

9

(2)

The Modernist Gandhi

11

(7)

Two Forms of Postmodernism

18

(4)

A Postmodern Gandhi

22

(6)

TWO Nonviolence in Jainism and Hinduism

28

(11)

Absolute Nonviolence in Jainism

29

(2)

Gandhi and Jainism

31

(3)

Relative Nonviolence in Hinduism

34

(2)

Gandhi's View of the Bhagavad-gita

36

(3)

THREE Vedanta, Atman, and Gandhi

39

(12)

Bhikhu Parekh's Advaitin Gandhi

40

(2)

Ramashray Roy's Nondual Gandhi

42

(4)

Metaphors of Self and World

46

(5)

FOUR The Buddha and Pragmatic Nonviolence

51

(15)

Nonviolence in Buddhism

52

(2)

Gandhi's Misconceptions about Buddhism

54

(3)

Gandhi, Self-Suffering, and the Buddha

57

(1)

The Mahatma and the Bodhisattva

58

(3)

The Buddhist Self as Functional

61

(2)

Gandhian and Buddhist Humanism

63

(3)

FIVE Experiments with Truth

66

(15)

Aristotle on Practical Reason

67

(2)

Yi and Phronêsis

69

(4)

Dharma and the Middle Way

73

(3)

The Eight-Fold Path

76

(2)

Experiments with Truth

78

(3)

SIX The Aesthetics of Virtue

81

(19)

A Confucian Critique of Greco-Roman Ethics

82

(4)

Rational versus Aesthetic Order

86

(3)

A Confucian Aesthetics of Virtue

89

(3)

A Fusion of Making and Doing

92

(6)

Conclusions

98

(2)

SEVEN Gandhi, Confucius, and Virtue Aesthetics

100

(13)

Confucius versus Gandhi

101

(4)

Instructive Similarities

105

(4)

A Gandhian Aesthetics of Virtue

109

(4)

EIGHT Rules, Vows, and Virtues

113

(23)

Rules and Virtues

114

(5)

Virtue and Virility

119

(4)

Vows and Virtues

123

(3)

Gandhi's Vows

126

(5)

Gandhi's Virtues

131

(5)

NINE The Virtue of Nonviolence

136

(20)

Character Consequentialism

137

(7)

The Means—Ends Relation 142,

Is Nonviolence a Virtue at All?

144

(2)

Is Nonviolence an Enabling Virtue?

146

(4)

The Virtues, Pleasure, and Moral Freedom

150

(1)

Happiness, Joy, and Pleasure

151

(5)

TEN The Saints of Nonviolence: Buddha,

156

(21)

Christ, Gandhi, King

Saintly Gentleness and Tough Love

157

(2)

Utility, Duty, or Infused Charity?

159

(5)

The Charismatic Saint

164

(4)

Mahatma, Megalopsychia, and the Flawed Saint

168

(6)

Buddha, Christ, and Duress Virtue

174

(3)

Notes

177

(28)

Glossary of Foreign Terms

205

(4)

Selected Bibliography

209

(6)

Note on Supporting Center

215

(2)

Index

217

(6)

SUNY Series in Constructive Postmodern Thought

223

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