This book examines the link between sensual austerity and moral leadership—a topic largely neglected in contemporary academic scholarship and public policy—by exploring the comparative cross-cultural perspectives of Plato, Confucius, and Gandhi, on this theme. Despite the diverse cultural contexts that gave rise to their respective philosophical perspectives, they shared similar views on what might constitute a universal and perennial basis for individual moral development in any harmonious political order. They all agreed that sensual austerity is necessary for the realization of a...

Mohandas K. Gandhi was a sharp critic of the 1947 partition of British India that created two independent states of India and Pakistan, believing that partition politics, rooted in the psychology of othering, would turn South Asia into a near permanent conflict zone. His apprehension was not without basis. The psychology of othering that engendered partition continues to manifest itself in multiple ways, including, but not limited to, interstate wars and communal violence. It permeates not only politics at a higher level but also everyday life. In exploring partition and post-partition...

Mohandas K. Gandhi was a sharp critic of the 1947 partition of British India that created two independent states of India and Pakistan, believing that partition politics, rooted in the psychology of othering, would turn South Asia into a near permanent conflict zone. His apprehension was not without basis. The psychology of othering that engendered partition continues to manifest itself in multiple ways, including, but not limited to, interstate wars and communal violence. It permeates not only politics at a higher level but also everyday life. In exploring partition and post-partition...