Publisher's Synopsis
This work is an inquiry Into the philosophic position of Sum Nanak -- a great savant of the fifteenth-century Punjab and spiritual mentor of the Sikh faith. The book makes a scholarly presentation of the doctrines of humanism in the classical as well as contemporary Western and Indian philosophies, besides giving a synoptic view of the growth of humanism since the Renaissance. It vividly brings out Guru Nanak's concept of Man and human self vis-á-vis his conception of God and vision of supreme reality. The author gives his appraisal of Guru Nanak as a thinker, poet and philosopher. He examines the Guru's approach to the essentially human issues of community, life, personal salvation and the choice and promotion of values; in the context of present-day theories of existentialism, naturalism, Marxism and philosophy of culture. He pays special attention to Indian Idealism and varieties of mysticism, in order to construct an adequate conceptual framework of Guru Nanak's philosophy of religion. According to the author, humanism of the Guru is well reconciled to his theism; conflict between the two is completely resolved.
