How does it relate to the arthashastra? What does Shah suggest is a missing concept in traditional Hindu political thought and why?
Order Description
The readings assigned for this week are Chapters 6 and 7 of Dallmayr’s Comparative Political Theory. Topics covered include: the Hindu tradition of political thought; and Kautilya and the science of politics and statecraft.
One note about the readings: A few of you have expressed concern in the discussion forum that you are finding the readings for Part II of the course difficult to understand and interpret. I appreciate the feedback and will take it into consideration when assigning readings for future classes. One suggestion to help make sense of things is to first read Dallmayr’s brief introductions to each part of the book, as they provide contextual background and a relatively straightforward overview of the chapters that follow.
Discussion is scheduled for this week. Focus on the assigned readings and describe and analyze South Asian political thought. Some suggested topics for discussion include: What is the meaning of the concepts of danda and dharma? How are they significant in traditional Hindu political thought? What is the meaning of the concept of artha? How does it relate to the arthashastra? What does Shah suggest is a missing concept in traditional Hindu political thought and why?