Yogic metaethics: comparing Patañjali’s Yoga, Nondual Śaivism, and Vedānta

Thesis

This thesis develops what I believe is the first systematic comparative metaethical analysis of three Indian traditions that contributed significantly to the evolution of modern transnational yoga: Patañjali’s Yoga, Nondual Śaivism, and Vedānta. Chapter 1 begins with an overview of some of the ethical challenges impacting contemporary yoga communities. Chapter 2 introduces metaethics, along with five key philosophical ingredients: causation, the idea of the ‘self’, agency, free will, and moral responsibility. Metaethics may be thought of as the philosophical framework which shapes normative ethical theories and practical ethical deliberation. It is concerned with moral ontology, moral epistemology, moral semantics, and moral psychology. Metaethical theories, karma, and the relationship between metaethics and human rights are also discussed. In Chapters 3-5, three research questions are investigated for each tradition: 1. How might the tradition’s metaethical framework best be characterised? 2. How does the tradition’s view of the phenomenal world and its view of truth affect the scope of its metaethics, and its adherents’ worldview? 3. To what extent does that metaethical framework provide philosophical support for universal human rights? In Chapter 6, I summarise the conclusions.

The overall argument may be stated briefly: 1. While modern transnational yoga has brought benefits to millions, it also faces numerous ethical and epistemological challenges. 2. Some yogic traditions mesh well with modern human rights perspectives, and have an approach to the phenomenal world which more naturally coheres with modern physical- and social-science concerns. For other traditions, the bridges between their philosophies and such concerns are weaker. 3. Contemporary yoga teacher training bodies, teachers, and students, would benefit from greater awareness of the diversity of metaethical perspectives in traditional teachings, and the extent to which they may either support or undermine ethical codes of conduct, human rights principles, and evidence-based teaching and policy.

Authors: Parris, BW

• Alternative title: Yogic metaethics
• DOI: 10.5287/ora-aop2e9xmj
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: metaethics; Vedānta; yoga; ethics; Śaivism; Patañjali; Indian philosophy; human rights
• Subjects: Ethics; Vedanta; Metaethics; Theology; Śaivism; Yoga