Hello members. I am a 2015 aspirant and preparing Philosophy on my own. I have started writing answers very recently. I have no idea how to present my self and what UPSC actually needs. I have tried to answer a question.
Q) Carvaka philosophy saved Indian philosophy from dogmatism. Discuss.
Answer
Carvaka's Philosophy is materialist, realist, heterodox, atheist. It based on free thought and thus it is very skeptic in nature. It challenges very nerves of other philosophical schools on which they are based. Carvakas refuse to accept traditional dogmas and beliefs without criticisms.
When we analyse the epiestemology of Carvaka, we see that they have rejected all other sources of knowledge except perception. This includes inference. This a major challenge posed by the Carvakas to all other schools of Indian Philosophy as all schools except Carvakas have accepted inference as a pramana. Carvaka's logical arguments which shows that vyapti leads to fallacies of Peitio Principii and illicit generalization and this makes other schools to come up with a sound and careful replies along with criticism and thus, makes them better established and does away with dogmatism while accepting inference. So is the case with other pramanas like verbal testimony and vedic testimony (challenges orthodox schools) where Charvaka's reject and criticize their validity and other schools come up with a sound reply based on sound reason.
Carvaka school is a heterodox school as we see it from their Metaphysics. Law of karma which is more or less an accepted law in all orthodox schools, stands discarded here based on their sound epistemology. Their explanation to existence of soul, god, heaven and hell, liberation and bondage, etc. based on their epistemology goes against most of the schools' metaphysics and they try to answer Carvaka's criticism and in the process they themselves become well established.
On a general note, all schools tried to meet Charvaka's objections and they tried to establish themselves on sound reason and criticisms. Carvaka gave them new philosophical problems and indirectly compelling philosophers to give up dogmatism and become more critical and careful in speculation.
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