I Think, Therefore I Ask is an attempt at bringing the discourse of different perspectives on ideas that inform and permeate society, that influence the way we deal with and relate to people and the world around us. It attempts to do so in a simple but not simplistic manner. Each big idea forms a chapter of the book.
The major perspectives that are discussed are Indian (Hindu, Buddhist, Jain), Abrahamic (Judaism, Christianity, Islam); modern western or eastern philosophical thinkers and sometimes references to Greek philosophical thought are also drawn in. But no particular system is shown to be superior to any other. In not privileging any one strand, Rao gives the message that there are different ways of thinking on each of these issues and none is intrinsically better than the other. This is a very important message today.
The writing is breezy and engrossing for mature readers who have some background knowledge of and interest in the thought paradigms of different religions and philosophies. Each chapter gives you much to learn and much to reflect on, examples chosen from ancient history and religious and spiritual traditions. For example, in the chapter on Freedom Rao quotes Marx’s theory, ‘His (Marx’s) theories were oriented towards freeing the masses who were struggling for survival through a proletarian revolution to the “realm of freedom”.” He then posits Bakunin’s ideas critical of Marx’s ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’:
‘He (Bakunin) described a free person as one who has “severed every link with the social order and with the entire civilised world; with the laws, good manners, conventions, and morality of that world”.’ This concept of the free person Rao connects with the concept of avdhuta in India and in this context mentions the two outstanding female avdhutas of the twelfth and fifteenth centuries Akka Mahadevi and Lalleshwari, respectively. Thus, weaves the threads between centuries and continents.
The book would be engaging for young readers, especially adolescents, who are attracted to these expansive ideas and grappling with them. However, they may not have the background knowledge required to comprehend such large sweeps. Each of these chapters could be read separately and discussed with groups of young readers, guiding them to look for associated knowledge on the internet.