Description
From 1948 to 1985, Dr Ookerjee taught Western Philosophy at the Wilson College, Bombay and was the head of the Department of Philosophy from 1957. A recognised post-graduate lecturer in philosophy of the University of Mumbai, he was the president of the Bombay Philosophical Society. Dr Ookerkee specialises in the philosophies of Plato and F H Bradley. He has extensively lectured abroad and was awarded a fellowship by the Indian Council of Philosophical Research from 2004 to 2006.
Plato and Kautilya were both anxious to preserve a stable and unified State, but while Kautilya sought to achieve it by making the king extremely powerful and not scrupling to use any means, fair or foul, Plato visualises a band of superlatively wise and moral philosopher-kings, specially trained in statecraft. From these differences flow different conceptions of the lifestyles, qualities, duties and education of rulers.
This book discusses all these and related matters, like the nature of the state and justice, law-making, punishment and totalitarianism. It also incidentally brings out the difference between the Western and Indian concepts of political philosophy and styles of philosophising.
