Gandhi: a very short introduction

Gandhi (1869–1948) was one of the few men in history to fight simultaneously on moral, religious, political, social, economic, and cultural fronts—and to succeed in his struggle. Bhikhu Parekh offers a brief but focused look into Gandhi’s life and thought, outlining his major philosophical insights, cosmocentric anthropology, spiritual view of politics, and theories of oppression, nonviolent action, and active citizenship. He also considers how Gandhi’s success was limited by his lack of coherent theories of evil and of state and power, and how his hostility to modern civilization impeded his appreciation of its complexity.