This short workshop aims to provoke a ‘reversal of the gaze’ on the extant ideas of critical reasoning, and introduce the learners to the foundations of Indian philosophy and praxis of critical reasoning to cultivate a Dhārmika worldview.

In the western liberal arts and public discourse, ‘critical reasoning’ is referred to as the primary skill for the 21st century. This framing privileges a linear understanding of time, where everything modern and futuristic is ‘progress’, and all past is archaic. Critical reasoning has always been a primary focus of all ancient cultures, including the Greek foundations of western civilization. It is not a 21st century invention.

Failing to recognize this reveals a lack of self-reflexivity and critical reasoning. Reversing the gaze on Western liberal arts' narratives of reasoning exposes key gaps—one being the very framing of ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs). If ‘Sustainable Development’ was newly conceptualized in 2015, it implies that prior ‘development’ was unsustainable. How did the unsustainable come to be accepted as ‘development’?

Contrast this with Dharma, meaning ‘that which holds’ or ‘sustains.’ In the Dharmic worldview, true progress must be inherently sustainable. This confusion stems from an inadequate understanding of the ‘self.’ When the self is seen merely as a rational or emotional construct, cognitive biases proliferate.

Indian Knowledge Systems ground all inquiry in an integral theory of self—Yoga darśana offers a precise self-description, while Sāṃkhya provides the cosmological basis. Without such a foundation, critical reasoning is ineffective and even counterproductive.

To address this, the 2-day workshop will cover the following topics:

Day 1 - 

Session 1:  Problem with  liberal arts today, locating Ourselves, present global and leadership challenges:
- Complex Challenges of the future and their interconnections:
a. Fourth industrial revolution and global transformations
b. Climate crisis, planetary boundaries and limits of the Anthropocene
c. Sustainable economics and limits to growth
- Limits of silos thinking:
a. Beyond structures and controls: volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity- the pace of change and influx of new technologies
b. High modernism and risk society
c. Complex systems, fundamental contradictions and the limits of siloed thinking
- The need for new worldview and leadership through:
a. Decision-making under complexity and ambiguity
b. Integrative intelligence and systems thinking
c. Constant adaptability and lifelong learning

Session 2:  Ānvīkṣikī - Introduction to Indian Philosophy 
The concept of knowledge, validity of knowledge and the ways of acquiring it from IKS. Build on the acquired knowledge to think clearly and make decisions.

Day 2 - 

Session 3: Praxis of Critical Enquiry:
- Different types of Meaning: literal meaning (Abhidhā), intended meaning (Lakṣaṇa), and suggested meaning (Vyañjana).
- Principles of interpretation, methods to determine the purport of essays, speeches, etc.
- Checking for three possible defects: Ativyāpti, Avyāpti, Asambhava

Session 4: Critical Enquiry in Action - Activity Session:
This workshop will also bring theory into praxis through an exercise  that addresses the three cores of Anvikshiki:
- Prajñāvaiśāradyaṃ - Thoughts
- Vākyavaiśāradyaṃ - Words
- Kriyāvaiśāradyaṃ - Deeds