The Philosophy of Gandhi [Book Review]

To show the implicit philosophy in the thought of a person who does not think of himself as a philosopher and who does not write systematically, is not an easy task. Nevertheless, Professor Richards of the University of Stirling has done an admirable work in organizing the scattered observations of Gandhi under nine major heads and in showing their interrelation. In this way the book is more comprehensive though not more sympathetic than D. M. Datta’s earlier work of the same title. Richards maintains that Gandhi’s ideas “spring from firmly-held metaphysical beliefs” and discerningly traces their relation to Hindu thought and other factors.