Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya
| Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya | |
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| Born |
19 November 1918 Calcutta, British India |
| Died | 8 May 1993 (aged 74) Calcutta, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Era | 20th-century philosophy |
| School |
Lokayata Materialism Empiricism Atheism Marxism |
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Main interests
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History of Indian Materialism and Science Political philosophy |
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Notable ideas
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Irreligiosity of Early Vedism |
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Influences
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Influenced
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Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya (19 November 1918 – 8 May 1993) was an eminent Indian Marxist philosopher. He made extensive contributions to the exploration of the materialist current in ancient Indian philosophy. His most outstanding work in this regard was Lokayata: A Study in Ancient Indian Materialism, the compilation and exposition of the ancient philosophy of Lokayata, liberating it from distortions that it had suffered at the hands of its opponents. He is also acclaimed for his researches in the history of science and scientific method in ancient India, especially his 1977 book Science and Society in Ancient India on the ancient physicians Charaka and Sushruta. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour, in 1998.
Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya was born on 19 November 1918 in Calcutta. His father was a devout Hindu and a supporter of India's freedom struggle. It was probably his influence that initiated Debiprasad to two major passions in his life – Indian philosophy and politics; however, he quickly progressed towards radical streams in both fields, developing a lifelong commitment to Marxism and communist movement. At a very early stage of his life Chattopadhyaya immersed himself in the left nationalist movement by joining the Association of Progressive Writers, which was formed in 1936.
Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya obtained his academic training in philosophy in Calcutta, West Bengal under eminent philosophers like Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan and S. N. Dasgupta. After standing first in philosophy at University of Calcutta both in B.A. (1939) and M.A. (1942), he did his post-graduate research work under Prof S. N. Dasgupta. He taught philosophy at the University of Calcutta for two decades. Subsequently, he was appointed a UGC Visiting Professor at the universities of Andhra Pradesh, Calcutta and Poona. He remained associated with the activities of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPHR) and the National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies (NISTADS) of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) under various capacities. His second wife was the renowned educationist and Tibetologist, Dr. Alaka Majumder Chattopadhyaya (1926–1998).
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