Shakuntala Singh
Encyclopedia
Shakuntala A. Singh is an India
n educational administrator, professor of philosophy
and deputy editor of the Mens Sana Monographs
. She is principal
and head of the Department of Philosophy and director of the Research Center in Philosophy at Joshi-Bedekar College of Arts and Commerce, Thane (West), Maharashtra, India.
degree in philosophy
from Karnatak University
, India, in 1973, and her Ph.D.
degree from University of Mumbai
in comparative philosophy in 1984. From 1980 to 1983, she held a fellowship from the Indian University Grants Commission
to work on a comparative study of Gautama and Aristotle
. From 1992 to 1995, she worked on Indian philosophy
as a postdoctoral fellow of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research.
in philosophy at Joshi-Bedekar College, Thane, Maharashtra, India from 1975–1995, during which time she did her PhD and postdoctoral research. She became a senior lecturer in 1995 and was named head of her department in 2000. In 2005 she was named principal.
-Gandhi controversy as a response to K.J. Shah's call for a national debate, and analyzing the phenomena of non-issues, dissent, resolution of the values-power dichotomy, and of social/communal strife, as manifested in the Ram Janmabhoomi
-Babri Masjid controversy, for example. Singh worked over the philosophy of psychiatry when this field was in its infancy and in philosophy of history
, historiography
, and historism
, as a response to S.S. Barlingay
and D. P. Chattopadhyaya
's positions. Singh has also worked in bioethics over a philosophical study of the rehabilitation
of drug dependence
. She has written in applied ethics on the philosophy of journalism
, concluding that what was needed for a free and fair press was to eschew both sychophancy and quixotism.
's on humanity. Singh has also continued writing on the philosophy of psychiatry. She has also looked into bioethical issues like corporatisation of medicine, diseases of poverty/lifestyle as they impinge on well-being and human development, and on medicine and the pharmaceutical industry, including obligations towards research subjects.
and Nyaya
, philosophy of science
and of psychiatry
, metaphilosophy
, and bioethics
.
.
. In February 2010, she became president of a non-profit music organisation called Swara Sampada
, whose mission is to convert bathroom singers to drawing room singers, and drawing room singers to stage singers.
, psychiatrist, author, and editor, Mens Sana Monographs
, with whom she has co-authored many papers in philosophy, bioethics, and philosophy of psychiatry.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n educational administrator, professor of philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and deputy editor of the Mens Sana Monographs
Mens Sana Monographs
The Mens Sana Monographs is an open-access peer-reviewed medical journal-cum-monographic series. It is Devoted to the Understanding of Medicine, Mental Health, Mind, Man and their Matrix. The Mens Sana Monographs (MSM) is an open-access peer-reviewed medical journal-cum-monographic series. It is...
. She is principal
Principal (academia)
The Principal is the chief executive and the chief academic officer of a university or college in certain parts of the Commonwealth.-Canada:...
and head of the Department of Philosophy and director of the Research Center in Philosophy at Joshi-Bedekar College of Arts and Commerce, Thane (West), Maharashtra, India.
Education
Singh received her M.A.Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
from Karnatak University
Karnatak University
The Karnatak University established initially at Mumbai in 1949, the location was shifted to Dharwad in October, 1949 and Karnatak University had its official inauguration in March 1950. The campus spans 750 acres . Dr. D. C. Pavate was the vice-chancellor of the university from 1954 to 1967...
, India, in 1973, and her Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degree from University of Mumbai
University of Mumbai
The University of Mumbai , is a state university located in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was known as the University of Bombay until 1996 when the city of Bombay was renamed as Mumbai. The affiliated colleges of the university are spread throughout the city of Mumbai and four coastal districts in...
in comparative philosophy in 1984. From 1980 to 1983, she held a fellowship from the Indian University Grants Commission
University Grants Commission (India)
The University Grants Commission of India is a statutory organisation set up by Union government in 1956, for the coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of university education. It provides recognition for universities in India, and provides funds for government-recognised...
to work on a comparative study of Gautama and Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
. From 1992 to 1995, she worked on Indian philosophy
Indian philosophy
India has a rich and diverse philosophical tradition dating back to ancient times. According to Radhakrishnan, the earlier Upanisads constitute "...the earliest philosophical compositions of the world."...
as a postdoctoral fellow of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research.
Career
Singh was lecturerLecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
in philosophy at Joshi-Bedekar College, Thane, Maharashtra, India from 1975–1995, during which time she did her PhD and postdoctoral research. She became a senior lecturer in 1995 and was named head of her department in 2000. In 2005 she was named principal.
1985-2000
In the 1980s and 90s, Singh's work in meta-philosophy concentrated on critiquing the creative and comparative approaches joining issue with philosopher Rajendra Prasad's position on the topic. Her work in social philosophy involved working over the TagoreRabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
-Gandhi controversy as a response to K.J. Shah's call for a national debate, and analyzing the phenomena of non-issues, dissent, resolution of the values-power dichotomy, and of social/communal strife, as manifested in the Ram Janmabhoomi
Ram Janmabhoomi
Ram Janmabhoomi is the "Birthplace of Lord Rama."Lord Rama is a major God in Hindu theology and the Hindu religion where He is described as an Avatar of Lord Vishnu in Hinduism. The exact location of Lord Rama's birth as stated in holy Ramayan as being in the city of Ayoudhya in Uttar Pardesh...
-Babri Masjid controversy, for example. Singh worked over the philosophy of psychiatry when this field was in its infancy and in philosophy of history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, historiography
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
, and historism
Historism
Historism is a philosophical and historiographical theory, founded in 19th-century Germany and especially influential in 19th- and 20th-century Europe...
, as a response to S.S. Barlingay
Surendra Sheodas Barlingay
Surendra Sheodas Barlingay Nagpur, India) was an Indian logician and Marathi writer. He earned his Ph.D in philosophy at Nagpur University. He taught at University of Pune prior to 1962, and 1970-79, and Zagreb University, from 1962 -1963. He was chair of the philosophy department at Delhi...
and D. P. Chattopadhyaya
D. P. Chattopadhyaya
For the Marxist philosopher of the same name, see: Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya Debi Prasad Chattopadhyaya is the Founder/Chairman of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research, New Delhi...
's positions. Singh has also worked in bioethics over a philosophical study of the rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
of drug dependence
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
. She has written in applied ethics on the philosophy of journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, concluding that what was needed for a free and fair press was to eschew both sychophancy and quixotism.
2003-2009
From 2003 onwards, Singh has concentrated on topics in the philosophy of science like critiquing Indian science and understanding the essence of scientific temper, and on topics in social philosophy like understanding the relevance of Gandhi's thoughts on religion and AurobindoSri Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo , born Aurobindo Ghosh or Ghose , was an Indian nationalist, freedom fighter, philosopher, yogi, guru, and poet. He joined the Indian movement for freedom from British rule and for a duration became one of its most important leaders, before developing his own vision of human progress...
's on humanity. Singh has also continued writing on the philosophy of psychiatry. She has also looked into bioethical issues like corporatisation of medicine, diseases of poverty/lifestyle as they impinge on well-being and human development, and on medicine and the pharmaceutical industry, including obligations towards research subjects.
2008-2010
Singh's approach to the Indian tradition espouses the middle path, eschewing both reverence and radical departure. Her outlook towards the disparate viewpoints of stakeholders in mind/brain/consciousness studies is towards integration of diverse appearing viewpoints and approaches even as they forward their own unique perspectives to the issue.Areas of interest in teaching and research
Singh's subjects of interest, in teaching and research, have been logicLogic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
and Nyaya
Nyaya
' is the name given to one of the six orthodox or astika schools of Hindu philosophy—specifically the school of logic...
, philosophy of science
Philosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
and of psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
, metaphilosophy
Metaphilosophy
Metaphilosophy, also called philosophy of philosophy, is the study of the nature, aims, and methods of philosophy. The term is derived from Greek word meta μετά and philosophía φιλοσοφία ....
, and bioethics
Bioethics
Bioethics is the study of controversial ethics brought about by advances in biology and medicine. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and philosophy....
.
Seminar organiser
As principal of the college and director of its research center, Singh has organised National Seminars on bioethics (2007), Indian philosophy's relevance in the 21st century (2008), and an International Seminar on mind, brain and consciousness (2010).Editorial activity
Singh is a co-founder of the Mens Sana Research Foundation and deputy editor of its publication, the Mens Sana MonographsMens Sana Monographs
The Mens Sana Monographs is an open-access peer-reviewed medical journal-cum-monographic series. It is Devoted to the Understanding of Medicine, Mental Health, Mind, Man and their Matrix. The Mens Sana Monographs (MSM) is an open-access peer-reviewed medical journal-cum-monographic series. It is...
.
Music
Apart from academics, Singh has an interest in music, having undergone training in classical Hindustani vocal music and the sitarSitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
. In February 2010, she became president of a non-profit music organisation called Swara Sampada
Swara Sampada
Swara Sampada is a Mumbai, India based non-profit organisation with the mission statement 'To Help the Evolution of Bathroom Singers Into Drawing Room Singers; And Drawing Room Singers Into Stage Singers.-History and brief outline:...
, whose mission is to convert bathroom singers to drawing room singers, and drawing room singers to stage singers.
Marriage
Singh is married to Ajai R. SinghAjai R. Singh
Ajai R. Singh M.D. is a psychiatrist and editor, Mens Sana Monographs [MSM]. He has written extensively on issues related to psychiatry, philosophy, bioethical issues, medicine, and the pharmaceutical industry...
, psychiatrist, author, and editor, Mens Sana Monographs
Mens Sana Monographs
The Mens Sana Monographs is an open-access peer-reviewed medical journal-cum-monographic series. It is Devoted to the Understanding of Medicine, Mental Health, Mind, Man and their Matrix. The Mens Sana Monographs (MSM) is an open-access peer-reviewed medical journal-cum-monographic series. It is...
, with whom she has co-authored many papers in philosophy, bioethics, and philosophy of psychiatry.
External links
- Principal
- Joshi-Bedekar College of Arts and Commerce
- List of publications
- Head, Dept of Philosophy
- Director, Research Center in Philosophy
- Chief Organiser, Mind, Brain, Consciousness International Seminar
- Research and publications: a synoptic overview
- Shakuntala Singh at Collections of the National Library of Medicine