J.N. Mohanty (1928-2023)
Jitendra Nath “J.N.” Mohanty, professor emeritus of philosophy at Temple University, has died.
Professor Mohanty was well-known for his work on phenomenology (especially Husserl), Kant, and Indian philosophy. He is the author of, among other works, Between Two Worlds: East and West, an Autobiography (Oxford University Press, 2002), Classical Indian Philosophy (Oxford University Press, 2002), The Self and its Other (Oxford University Press, 2000), Logic, Truth, and the Modalities (Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1999), and Phenomenology: Between Essentialism and Transcendental Philosophy (Northwestern University Press, 1997), Husserl and Frege (Indiana University Press, 1982), and Edmund Husserl’s Theory of Meaning (Springer, 1976). You can learn more about some of his writings here.
Prior to taking up his position at Temple, Professor Mohanty taught at various institutions, including the University of Burdwan, the University of Calcutta, the New School for Social Research, the University of Oklahoma, and Emory University. He earned his PhD at the University of Göttingen, and his MA and BA at the University of Calcutta.
He died on March 7th.
(via Malcolm Keating)
In company with the likes of Peter Goldin, Herbert Fingarette, Eliot Deutsch, Ninian Smart, Raimundo Panikkar, David B. Wong, Jonardon Ganeri, B.K. Matilal, Bryan Van Norden, David L. Hall, Chad Hansen, A.C. Graham, Roger T. Ames, Antonio S. Cua, G.E.R. Lloyd, Oliver Leaman, and Jay L. Garfield (far from an exhaustive list, as it represents those who came quickest to mind), J.N. Mohanty can be classed among those who pioneered (in his case) and/or exemplify what we call “comparative philosophy.” I have long been surprised that he is not more well-known, both inside and outside the profession.
Should you not be familiar with or happen to be interested in comparative philosophy, you might find this list helpful (Mohany’s titles in this regard are found in my compilation for Indian philosophy): Thinking about Comparative Philosophy: a bibliographic introduction
May his soul rest in peace! And may his philosophical impact remain helpful to humanity.
See too Douglas Berger at The Indian Philosophy Blog: Some Memories of My Teacher, J.N. Mohanty.