Description:
Religion for a Secular Age provides a transnational history of modern Vedānta through a comparative study of two of its most important exponents, Friedrich Max Muller (1823-1900) and Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902). This book explains why Vedānta's appeal spanned the ostensibly very different contexts of colonial India and Victorian Britain and America, and how this ancient form of thought was translated by Muller and Vivekananda into a modern form of philosophy or religion.
Review Quotes: 'This is a fascinating book that illuminates how Friedrich Max MÃ1/4ller and Swami Vivekananda, two extraordinary intellectuals of the late nineteenth century, have interacted to shape both Western and Indian understandings of religion. Thomas Green's close reading of their exchanges and further writings is a major contribution to the intellectual history of the imperial encounter. This is necessary and enjoyable reading for anyone interested in Hinduism and Christianity, as well as religion more generally.' Peter van der Veer, Director, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Germany 'This is an engaging and well-written book that places Max MÃ1/4ller and Vivekananda in a world of shared concern about religion and science at the close of the nineteenth century. This is an important contribution to our understanding of religion and the rise of secularism.' Gavin Flood, Oxford University, UK