The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore

What it is

This book, The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore, was written by S. Radhakrishnan, a professor of philosophy, and first published in 1918. It examines the philosophical and religious ideas behind Tagore's writing and is held as a scanned text by the Internet Archive.

Why it matters

Radhakrishnan, who later became a major Indian philosopher and statesman, argued that Tagore's work expressed broader Indian ideals of philosophy, religion and art. The book shows how Tagore's poetry was taken seriously as a source of philosophical thought, not just literature.

Look closer

• Why might a philosopher, rather than a literary critic, choose to study Tagore's work?
• What does Radhakrishnan mean by saying there is 'neither East nor West' in Tagore's writing?
• How might this book have shaped the way later readers understood Tagore's ideas?