India has a long, rich, and diverse tradition of philosophical thought, spanning some two and a half millennia and encompassing several major religious traditions. This book emphasizes the diversity of Indian thought, and is structured around six schools which have achieved classic status.

1. Reason and Belief: Richness and diversity in Indian thought -- 2. The Brahmanical Beginnings: Sacrifice, cosmic speculation, oneness -- 3. Renouncing the Household: The Buddha's Middle Way -- 4. Issues and Justifications: Language, grammar, and polemics -- 5. Categories and Method: Vaisesika and Nyaya -- 6. Things and No-things: Developments in Buddhist thought -- 7. The Witness and the Watched: Yoga and Samkhya -- 8. The Word and the Book: Bhartṛhari Mīmāṃsā and Vedānta -- Postscript: From Classical Thought to the Modern Day.