Ashok Gangadean, Professor of Philosophy

Biographical Note

Ashok Gangadean is a Professor of Philosophy at Haverford College (Haverford, PA) where he has taught for the past thirty nine years.  He was the first Director of the Margaret Gest Center for Cross-Cultural Study of Religion at Haverford, and has participated in numerous professional conferences on inter-religious dialogue and East-West comparative philosophy.  His primary concern throughout his career has been to clarify the universal logos or common ground at the heart of human reason and rational life.  He is Founder-Director of the Global Dialogue Institute which seeks to embody the dialogical powers of global reason in all aspects of cultural life.  His book, Meditative Reason: Toward Universal Grammar (Peter Lang, Revisioning Philosophy Series, l993) attempts to open the way to global reason, and a companion volume, Between Worlds: The Emergence of Global Reason (Peter Lang, l997) explores the dialogical common ground between diverse worlds.  His forthcoming book, The Awakening of the Global Mind  further develops these themes for the general reader.

Professor Gangadean has focused over the past four decades on tapping and clarifying the deeper common ground between diverse cultural, religious and ideological worlds.  In his many published essays and public lectures he has attempted to demonstrate that human reason is essentially global, dialogical, holistic and intercultural.  In his books he has attempted to demonstrate that there is a fundamental Logos or Universal Grammar underlying all cultures, religions, philosophies and ideologies.  This discovery and clarification of the fundamental Logos in human cultures, experience and life has important implications for effectively addressing the most pressing practical problems humans face today.  His Global Dialogue Institute has developed a powerful "Whole Child Education" Pilot Project that has been supported by UNICEF and the Ministry of Education in Indonesia.  This integral approach to education and teacher training uses the power of Deep Dialogue to renovate the teaching and learning ecology of education.

While his earlier books attempt to demonstrate that human reason is essentially grounded in the fundamental Logos that is the common ground between diverse worlds, the Awakening attempts to communicate these findings to everyday people who have no background in philosophy and who urgently need to understand and cope with the profound changes we now face in the globalization of our cultures.  He is Co-Convenor of the recently formed World Commission on Global Consciousness and Spirituality which brings eminent world leaders together in sustained deep dialogue to cultivate global vision and wisdom for the new millennium.  This high level Commission has been supported generously by the Breuninger Foundation and has held annual retreats in the past three years at their Wasan Island Retreat.

Dr. Gangadean has appeared in television interviews in the Philadelphia Region, and appeared in the national television series Thinking Allowed with Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove.  These two interviews on his forthcoming book The Awakening of the Global Mind continues to air in repeating cycles on the national scene.  More recently he was featured in the forthcoming series –A Parliament of Minds – produced by Michael Tobias and Patrick Fitzgerald.  This series arose from the recent World Congress of Philosophy in Boston (August l998) at which Dr. Gangadean helped convene and inaugurate the newly formed World Commission on Global Consciousness and Spirituality.  He appears in a half-hour interview on his work and participated in a one-hour dialogue with Karan Singh, Robert Muller and Ewert Cousins. He is also Co-Chair of the newly formed World Wisdom Council.  Gangadean became the host of the Emmy Nominated "Philly Live: Your International Connection" on WYBE TV  Public Television (Philadelphia, Ch 35) which recently evolved into the prize winning "Global Lens."  This television show seeks to cultivate global dialogue and a global perspective on vital issues of international interest.

Gangadean recently formed his ((Awakening)) Productions to begin work on producing a six-part series for television on the narrative of his forthcoming book The Awakening of the Global Mind  Also, his book Meditations on Global First Philosophy:  The Quest for the Missing Grammar of Logos has just been accepted for publication by SUNY Press and will appear next year. 

"Professor of Philosophy: Ashok Gangadean" by Max Turner '98 read ...