Shyam Ranganathan
Office: Ross Building, S446
Phone: (416)736-5113 Ext: 77578
Email: shyamr@yorku.ca
Media Requests Welcome
I am a translation theorist, philosopher and teacher. I write on: Ethics, Political Philosophy, the Philosophy of Thought, Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Religion and Asian Philosophy---especially Indian Philosophy, Indian moral philosophy and philosophies of meditation. A theme of my research is the connection between abstract models of thought and understanding, and outcomes of colonialism, nationalism, anthropocentrism and other moral and political phenomena. My work shows that rigorous research methodologies are decolonial while arbitrary approaches to the data sustain oppression. I am author of three peer reviewed monographs, two edited volumes, a translation and commentary of an ancient text of moral theory from Sanskrit, and several papers spanning my areas of research.
My work began tracking problems in the study of Non-Western philosophy, especially Indian moral philosophy, which I then traced to common assumptions in twentieth century philosophy of language (in the Analytic and Continental traditions) and then further back in the West's tradition starting with the founding Greek thinkers. A lot of my work addresses the relationship between social, political and epistemic problems and assumed models of thought.
For up to date information about my books, research and other publications, please see:
my website: shyam.org or
my website: shyam-ranganathan.info
For a relatively complete list of publications, please see My Regularly Updated and (usually) Complete Bibliography.
For information about my new, free philosophy education project, see Yoga Philosophy at : yogaphilosophy.com
Degrees
PhD, Philosophy, York UniversityMA, South Asian Studies, University of Toronto
MA, Philosophy, University of Toronto
BA, Philosophy, University of Guelph
Professional Leadership
I am one of the founding members of the York Philosophy Diversity Committee, and worked to create our Diversify our Syllabi Series, which provides support for philosophy teachers to include marginalized sources in their courses. I am editor of two international collections of Indian Ethics, an area claimed by scholars prior to my work to be non-existent. I am a member of the York South Asian Studies Collective, and work on curricular changes to serve the interests of York's diverse student population.
Community Contributions
I am a DE&I consultant for organizations outside of the university interested in moving past historical injustice in organizational structure and the products and services offered.
I am the founder of Yoga Philosophy, a scholar practitioner, public philosophy initiative that is the first and only source of scholarly information about Yoga and Philosophy available to interested students at large.
I have contributed to free, public education on these topics online and via organizations such as Yoga Alliance.
Research Interests
Ranganathan, Shyam. (2019) . Hinduism: A Contemporary Philosophical Investigation. New York: Routledge.
Ranganathan, Shyam (Ed.). 2017. The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Ethics Of Bloomsbury Research Handbooks in Asian Philosophy. Series Edited by Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad and Sor-hoon Tan. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Ranganathan, Shyam. 2008. Patañjali's Yoga Sūtra: Translation, Commentary and Introduction. In Black Classics. Delhi: Penguin Black Classics.
Ranganathan, Shyam. (first edition 2007) 2017. Ethics and the History of Indian Philosophy. 2 ed. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.
Ranganathan, Shyam. (2018) . Context and Pragmatics. In P. Wilson & J. P. Rawling (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Translation and Philosophy New York: Routledge.
Ranganathan, Shyam. 2017. 'Patañjali’s Yoga: Universal Ethics as the Formal Cause of Autonomy.' In The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Ethics edited by Shyam Ranganathan, 177-202 Of Bloomsbury Research Handbooks in Asian Philosophy, edited by Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad and Sor-hoon Tan. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Ranganathan, Shyam. 2017. 'Three Ved?ntas: Three Accounts of Character, Freedom and Responsibility.' In The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Ethics edited by Shyam Ranganathan, 249-274 Of Bloomsbury Research Handbooks in Asian Philosophy, edited by Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad and Sor-hoon Tan. London: Bloomsbury Academic
Ranganathan, Shyam. 2017. 'Moral Philosophy: The Right and the Good.' In The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Ethics edited by Shyam Ranganathan, 5-34 Of Bloomsbury Research Handbooks in Asian Philosophy, edited by Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad and Sor-hoon Tan. London: Bloomsbury Academic
Ranganathan, Shyam. 2017. 'Beyond Moral Twin Earth: Beyond Indology.' In The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Ethics edited by Shyam Ranganathan, 85-102 Of Bloomsbury Research Handbooks in Asian Philosophy, edited by Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad and Sor-hoon Tan. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Ranganathan, Shyam. 'An Archimedean Point for Philosophy.' Metaphilosophy 42, no. 4 (July 2011): 479-519.
Approach to Teaching
My goal in teaching is to get students to participate in their own education. My smaller courses with no TA are frequently flipped: students watch lectures and do readings on their own time (and answer pass/fail commentary questions to incentivize keeping up with lessons) and class is devoted to conversation — interaction with me and other students—which students are rewarded for attending. All questions and doubts about the material are meant to be dealt with in class. Pass/fail assignments are also designed to give students practice on the more challenging written and test assignments. A goal of mine is to render everything explicit, including grading criteria: there shouldn't be any surprises with respect to how grades are awarded, in my classes.
Current Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall/Winter 2024 | AP/MODR1730 6.0 | D | Reasoning About Social Issues | TUTR |
| Fall/Winter 2024 | AP/MODR1730 6.0 | D | Reasoning About Social Issues | TUTR |
Upcoming Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter 2025 | AP/PHIL2035 3.0 | M | Asian Philosophical Traditions | LECT |
| Fall/Winter 2024 | AP/MODR1730 6.0 | D | Reasoning About Social Issues | TUTR |
I am a translation theorist, philosopher and teacher. I write on: Ethics, Political Philosophy, the Philosophy of Thought, Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Religion and Asian Philosophy---especially Indian Philosophy, Indian moral philosophy and philosophies of meditation. A theme of my research is the connection between abstract models of thought and understanding, and outcomes of colonialism, nationalism, anthropocentrism and other moral and political phenomena. My work shows that rigorous research methodologies are decolonial while arbitrary approaches to the data sustain oppression. I am author of three peer reviewed monographs, two edited volumes, a translation and commentary of an ancient text of moral theory from Sanskrit, and several papers spanning my areas of research.
My work began tracking problems in the study of Non-Western philosophy, especially Indian moral philosophy, which I then traced to common assumptions in twentieth century philosophy of language (in the Analytic and Continental traditions) and then further back in the West's tradition starting with the founding Greek thinkers. A lot of my work addresses the relationship between social, political and epistemic problems and assumed models of thought.
For up to date information about my books, research and other publications, please see:
my website: shyam.org or
my website: shyam-ranganathan.info
For a relatively complete list of publications, please see My Regularly Updated and (usually) Complete Bibliography.
For information about my new, free philosophy education project, see Yoga Philosophy at : yogaphilosophy.com
Degrees
PhD, Philosophy, York UniversityMA, South Asian Studies, University of Toronto
MA, Philosophy, University of Toronto
BA, Philosophy, University of Guelph
Professional Leadership
I am one of the founding members of the York Philosophy Diversity Committee, and worked to create our Diversify our Syllabi Series, which provides support for philosophy teachers to include marginalized sources in their courses. I am editor of two international collections of Indian Ethics, an area claimed by scholars prior to my work to be non-existent. I am a member of the York South Asian Studies Collective, and work on curricular changes to serve the interests of York's diverse student population.
Community Contributions
I am a DE&I consultant for organizations outside of the university interested in moving past historical injustice in organizational structure and the products and services offered.
I am the founder of Yoga Philosophy, a scholar practitioner, public philosophy initiative that is the first and only source of scholarly information about Yoga and Philosophy available to interested students at large.
I have contributed to free, public education on these topics online and via organizations such as Yoga Alliance.
Research Interests
All Publications
Ranganathan, Shyam. (2018) . Context and Pragmatics. In P. Wilson & J. P. Rawling (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Translation and Philosophy New York: Routledge.
Ranganathan, Shyam. 2017. 'Patañjali’s Yoga: Universal Ethics as the Formal Cause of Autonomy.' In The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Ethics edited by Shyam Ranganathan, 177-202 Of Bloomsbury Research Handbooks in Asian Philosophy, edited by Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad and Sor-hoon Tan. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Ranganathan, Shyam. 2017. 'Three Ved?ntas: Three Accounts of Character, Freedom and Responsibility.' In The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Ethics edited by Shyam Ranganathan, 249-274 Of Bloomsbury Research Handbooks in Asian Philosophy, edited by Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad and Sor-hoon Tan. London: Bloomsbury Academic
Ranganathan, Shyam. 2017. 'Moral Philosophy: The Right and the Good.' In The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Ethics edited by Shyam Ranganathan, 5-34 Of Bloomsbury Research Handbooks in Asian Philosophy, edited by Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad and Sor-hoon Tan. London: Bloomsbury Academic
Ranganathan, Shyam. 2017. 'Beyond Moral Twin Earth: Beyond Indology.' In The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Ethics edited by Shyam Ranganathan, 85-102 Of Bloomsbury Research Handbooks in Asian Philosophy, edited by Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad and Sor-hoon Tan. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Ranganathan, Shyam. (2019) . Hinduism: A Contemporary Philosophical Investigation. New York: Routledge.
Ranganathan, Shyam (Ed.). 2017. The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Ethics Of Bloomsbury Research Handbooks in Asian Philosophy. Series Edited by Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad and Sor-hoon Tan. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Ranganathan, Shyam. 2008. Patañjali's Yoga Sūtra: Translation, Commentary and Introduction. In Black Classics. Delhi: Penguin Black Classics.
Ranganathan, Shyam. (first edition 2007) 2017. Ethics and the History of Indian Philosophy. 2 ed. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.
Ranganathan, Shyam. 'An Archimedean Point for Philosophy.' Metaphilosophy 42, no. 4 (July 2011): 479-519.
Approach to Teaching
My goal in teaching is to get students to participate in their own education. My smaller courses with no TA are frequently flipped: students watch lectures and do readings on their own time (and answer pass/fail commentary questions to incentivize keeping up with lessons) and class is devoted to conversation — interaction with me and other students—which students are rewarded for attending. All questions and doubts about the material are meant to be dealt with in class. Pass/fail assignments are also designed to give students practice on the more challenging written and test assignments. A goal of mine is to render everything explicit, including grading criteria: there shouldn't be any surprises with respect to how grades are awarded, in my classes.
Current Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall/Winter 2024 | AP/MODR1730 6.0 | D | Reasoning About Social Issues | TUTR |
| Fall/Winter 2024 | AP/MODR1730 6.0 | D | Reasoning About Social Issues | TUTR |
Upcoming Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter 2025 | AP/PHIL2035 3.0 | M | Asian Philosophical Traditions | LECT |
| Fall/Winter 2024 | AP/MODR1730 6.0 | D | Reasoning About Social Issues | TUTR |
