Indian Ethos encompasses India‘s Value System, outlooks, beliefs, behavioral traits, views, customs, knowledge, and practices of its members traced to the earliest time of its recorded thoughts. The BhumiSukta of the Atharvaveda has identified the sustaining principles of the universe as-Truth, cosmic order, energy, consecration, austerity, knowledge and sacrifice which uphold the earth. In every nation there are certain thoughts, practices and tendencies which have survived the blows of time and are the perennial ethos of the nation. Indians stress on the Universal, and thus the particular is negated. The static Quality of thought is emphasized. There is a dearth of common sense concepts of time, and an urgency to know the Universal law and the Consciousness of Living Beings. The greatest exponent of the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta Adi Shankaracharya never passively accepted the teachings of the Vedas but was actively engaged in questioning, and expected his students to challenge the age old assumptions, and encouraged them to resort to reasoning to develop their critical thinking skills. Shankaracharya was thus a Critical Insider, one of the many in the history of India. These Critical Insiders, critically analyzed approaches to life, our mode of thought, our society, and the working of Indian Universal views. The Critical Theory of the Frankfurt School was a critical analysis of capitalism, leading to social control in our society. It presupposed the analysis of the current order and a fight against it, attempting to create necessary balance between the personal freedoms of the individuals and the universal power of the collective. This paper is an attempt to highlight the Indian Critical Theorists with respect to the Indian Ethos.
Volume 11 | 12-Special Issue
Pages: 1289-1294
DOI: 10.5373/JARDCS/V11SP12/20193337