A Course in Indian Philosophy

The book begins with the philosophical origins of the Vedic period, examining cosmological speculation, the Upaniṣadic teachings, and early theories concerning ultimate reality, selfhood, and liberation. It subsequently explores the emergence of the Śramaṇa movements, including materialist, determinist, sceptical, Jain, and Buddhist traditions.

Particular attention is devoted to Buddhist philosophy, especially the Buddha's empirical approach, the Four Noble Truths, dependent origination, non-self, and the rejection of speculative metaphysical assumptions. Warder examines the development of Buddhist scholasticism through Abhidharma classifications, theories of causality, epistemology, and formal methods of philosophical argumentation.

The study also investigates classical Brahmanical schools, including Sāṃkhya, Mīmāṃsā, Vaiśeṣika, and Nyāya, emphasizing their contributions to metaphysics, linguistic analysis, logic, and theories of knowledge.

Later sections trace the emergence of Mahāyāna Buddhism and its philosophical transformations, particularly Madhyamaka, Vijñānavāda, and subsequent Buddhist logical traditions.

Throughout the work, Warder emphasizes the interaction, disagreement, and intellectual exchange among competing schools. The book offers a systematic account of Indian philosophy as a developing tradition of rational inquiry, critical debate, and methodological innovation, highlighting its substantial contributions to logic, epistemology, and philosophical analysis.