History and Theory of Knowledge Production

Book excerpt: Who decides what should be recognized as knowledge? What forces engender knowledge? How do certain forms of it acquire precedence over the rest, and why? Exploring these fundamental questions, this book provides an introductory outline of the vast history of knowledge systems under the broad categories of European and non-European, specifically Indian. It not only traces ontology and epistemology in spatio-temporal terms, but also contextualizes methodological development by comparing Indian and European systems of knowledge and their methods of production as well as techniques ensuring reliability. Knowledge cannot have a history of its own, independent of social history. Therefore, using a vast array of sources, including Greek, Prakrit, Chinese, and Arab texts, the book situates the history of knowledge production within the matrix of multiple socio-economic and politico-cultural systems. Further, the volume also analyses the process of the rise of science and new science and reviews speculative thoughts about the dynamics of the subatomic micro-universe as well as the mechanics of the galactic macro-universe.