[Reader-list] Rajni Kothari Lecture by Arindam Chakrabarti on 'We the People: General Will (volonté générale) Re-Considered'

[Praveen Rai]

 Centre for the Study of Developing Societies
invite you to the Rajni Kothari Lecture



*We the People: *

*General Will (volonté générale) Re-Considered*

by *Arindam Chakrabarti*



*Deepak Nayyar *will Chair

Friday, 18 December 2015, 5 pm
                                                                      RSVP

CSDS Seminar Hall,

   Tel: 011 23942199

29 Rajpur Road, Delhi 110054

   Fax: 011 23943450

Please join us for tea at 4.30 pm

   email: jaya at csds.in





*Rajni Kothari Lectures* are instituted in honour of the CSDS Founder
Director Professor Rajni Kothari. Earlier speakers in the series include
Professors Charles Douglas Lummis, Ramin Jahanbegloo, Sudipta Kaviraj,
Gananath Obeyesekere, Rounaq Jahan, Abdellah Hammoudi, Charles Taylor, Arif
Dirlik, Shahid Amin and Alfred Stepan.



When we compare the concepts of *people, the public, citizens, and voters *with
the concepts of *jantaa, jana-gan, lok, humlog, aam admi, prajaa,
bahujan *etc.,
a complex pattern of family resemblances and distinctions emerges. On the
basis of this politically suggestive ordinary language analysis, this
lecture will explore the ontological status of "we, the people (of India or
any other country)" which should be crucial to democratic theory. Can the
collective subject ('we') have a will distinguishable from individual wills
and the negotiated will of the majority?



*Arindam Chakrabarti* is Professor of Philosophy and Director of Center for
South Asian Studies, at University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. His major areas of
specialization are Philosophy of language and logic, metaphysics,
philosophy of mind, and Indian philosophy.


His numerous books include *Denying Existence*, *Knowing from Words* (with
B.K.Matilal), *Universals, Concepts and Qualities *(with P.F. Strawson),
*Apoha*: *Buddhist Nominalism *(with Mark Siderits and Tom Tillemans),
and *Mahabharata
Now* (with Sibaji Bandyopadhyay).

*Deepak Nayyar is the Chairman of the *Centre for the Study of Developing
Societies.

Praveen Rai
Academic Secretary
Centre for the Study of Developing Societies
29, Rajpur Road
Delhi - 110054
Phone: 91-11-23942199
http://www.csds.in/praveen.rai