Compassion and Evil

This book examines the idea of punishment and some alternative humane methods of treating crime such as the public health=quarantine approach.

Praise for Gandhi and Liberalism:

‘A very good book, very carefully thought out and explained, backed by lifetime's knowledge of India and contributions to political philosophy.’

Professor Sir Richard Sorabji, Honorary Fellow, Wolfson College, Oxford, UK

'This [is an] important book . . . any serious student of Gandhi's thought, or of non-violence and civil disobedience, or with dealing with the world's evil, can only profit from reading this persuasively argued and frequently delightful book.'

Professor Rajmohan Gandhi, The Book Review

‘Vinit Haksar’s scholarship is truly admirable. He tells us not only the story of Gandhi, he also encourages us to see Gandhi in the context of the larger politico-philosophical issues the liberals are known for raising.’

Professor Avijit Pathak, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India International Quarterly

‘Vinit Haksar's book is a welcome and original addition to this (Gandhian) literature, developing a cluster of related concepts central to liberal political thought ’

Professor Mohamed Mehdi, Philosophical Review

‘This unusual and exciting book makes a concerted attempt with clearly argued ideas to present both liberalism and Gandhi on issues such as civil disobedience and overcoming evil in society, and contributes to the present discussion in political theory by making some important corrections in the existing understanding of Gandhi.’

Professor A. Raghuramaraju, Department of Philosophy, University of Hyderabad, India

Vinit Haksar has taught Philosophy at the Universities of Edinburgh, St Andrews and Oxford, UK. He is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Edinburgh and an Honorary Fellow, School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh. He has held many visiting professorships including John Milton Scott Visiting Professorship, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada, Dartmouth College, New Hampshire and Jawaharlal Nehru University, India. He has written several books including Equality, Liberty and Perfectionism (1979); Indivisible Selves and Moral Practice (1991); Rights, Communities and Disobedience (2001), Gandhi and Liberalism (2018), and has published extensively in anthologies and international journals of philosophy, politics and law, apart from delivering many public lectures.