Class 12 English — Chapter 18: The Argumentative Indian

What you'll learn

• ▸India's Argumentative Tradition
• ▸Krishna's Deontological Argument
• ▸Arjuna's Consequentialist Dilemma
• ▸The Mahabharata's Narrative Plurality
• ▸Modern Relevance and the Oppenheimer Parallel
• ▸Gender and Voice in Indian Discourse
• ▸Western Reception of the Bhagavad Gita

Chapter Summary

--- PAGE 1 --- 12076CH18 5 The Argumentative Indian Amartya Sen was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1998 for his contribution in the field of welfare economics. He is Lamont Professor at Harvard. This text forms the opening sections of the first essay in Sen's book of the same title published in 2005. The sub-title of the book is 'Writings on Indian Culture, History and Identity'. Sen argues in this essay that in India there has been a long tradition of questioning the truth of ideas through discussion and dialogue. Amartya Sen Born 1933 Prolixity is not alien to us in India. We are able to talk at some length. Krishna Menon's* record of the longest speech ever delivered at the United Nations (nine hours non-stop), established half a century ago (when Menon was leading the Indian delegation), has not been equalled by anyone from anywhere. Other peaks of loquaciousness have been scaled by other Indians. W…

Practice Questions from this Chapter

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1. Explore what makes an argument fair. Get Solution →
2. Discover how ancient stories become epics. Get Solution →
3. Debate why duty sometimes conflicts with consequences. Get Solution →
4. Who is the author of the book 'The Argumentative Indian'? Get Solution →
5. In what year was Amartya Sen awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics? Get Solution →
6. According to the text, who delivered the longest speech ever at the United Nations? Get Solution →
7. The Bhagavad Gita, which features the dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, is a small section of which ancient epic? Get Solution →
8. In the Bhagavad Gita, what is the core of Krishna's argument to Arjuna? Get Solution →

Did you know?

• 💡 Socrates, a famous Greek philosopher, only taught by asking questions, never writing anything down.
• 💡 The Mahābhārata epic is longer than the Bible and all of Shakespeare's works put together.
• 💡 Ancient Indian scholars could memorize entire books, reciting them perfectly from memory.
• 💡 A single UN speech by an Indian diplomat lasted nine hours, a world record.
• 💡 Ancient Indian debates used formal logic rules, like a puzzle game for arguments.

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