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Gandhi - Coggle Diagram
Gandhi
Biography
Born in Gujurat in 1869 to a family from the Kshatriya caste (administrators, rulers, warriors). Father was a local politician, mother a devout Hindu
Strongly influenced by the Jain religion. Deep roots in Gujurat, emphasis on non-violence and simplicity
Cared for his ageing father, arranged marriage at 13 which he would look back on negatively
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Later given the title Mahatma, meaning righteous or holy one
Political leadership was as much spiritual as political. Driven by religious convictions and spiritual revival
Controversial for his racist views in his early life, which he later outgrew
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Gradually becomes dissociated from Indian politics, but was a leader of the independence movement in India
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South Africa
Works as a solicitor in South Africa from 1893-1914. Tries to fit into the legal and social framework of the British Empire
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1906: challenges suppression of the Zulu uprising but is appaled by the violence enacted by the British
Moves away from emulation to resistance - "true face" of imperialism revealed through political violence
Non-violence
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Not passive resistance - nonviolence is an active resistance and a spiritual quest to bring about a radial transformation of the social system grounded in radical transformation of the self
Based on the contrast between Himsa (violence, domination, exploitation), and Ahimsa (nonviolence, non-domination, non-exploitation)
Ahimsa is the power that animates and sustains independence and mutual aid. Ahimsa is the basic force (anti-Hobbes)
Ahimsa is manifest in Satyagraha, then manifested through Swaraj and Swadeshi
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Knowing god is knowing the truth of existence. God is non-material, so the truth is non material. No one or thing can experience the whole truth - absolute truth is impossible
Truth leads to non-violence, snce if we understand our truth is relative, we have no reason to assert our truth on others
Behaviour
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Non-violence empowers people to go on strikes, civil disobedience, and provides them with the courage to perform them
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But has its limits - satyagraha is the weapon of the strong, not the weak
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Satyagraha - truth force. Founded in virtues of chastity, poverty, courage, truth. This takes strength of will and character. Courage means to stand up to violence with violence when necessary
Individual jugements on justification of methods of resistance. Means and the ends are related - violent means will lead to a violent end
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Philosophy
Self-Rule
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Political Freedom: individual rights, freedom from oppression. Human beings recognise that our innate higher aim is to attain moral perfection
Economic freedom: Sarvodaya (welfare for all). Freedom from need, poverty
Colonialism
Gandhi saw colonial rule as exploitative, like Firmin
British rule has denigrated the Indian people. Encouraged attitudes of subservience, passivity, dependence
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Indians must emerge from this sense of powerlessness. Self-rule must be nonviolent to embody the spiritual values of the superior civilisation
Mutual transformation
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Satyagraha: non violent political resistance. Being in accordance with the truth, soul power
Non-violent ways of being in the world can bring about a transformation frmo modern, western civilisation to an alternative modernity
Enemy should not be defeated, with a new institutional power structure imposed, or ending all conflict. BUT to convert the adversary to take the non-violent approach, to transform adversarial relations into democratic ones
If the institutions of the British Raj and modern improvements were kept, then India would be Englistan
Civilisation
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British imperial civilisation is secular, driven by violence and control
Indian civilisation is permeated with spiritual values of truth, righteousness and compassion. Indian civilisation is superior
Modern civilisation is brute force, traditional Indian civilisation is soul force. This is why Indian civilisation is superior
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Hind Swaraj
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"love, otherwise ahimsa, sustainst his planet of ours". Empirical observation thtat if society was run on himsa it would not exist
"non-violence in its dynamic condition means conscious suffering. It does not mean meek submission to the will of the evildoer, but it means putting one's whole soul against the will of the tyrant. Working under this law of our being, it is possible for a single individual to defy the whole might of an unjust empire to save his honour, his religion, his soul and lay the foundation for that empire's fall or its regeneration".