L05: Hind Swaraj (Part 1)

HSH1000 The Human Condition

A/P Loy Hui Chieh
Agenda
• Gandhi and Hind Swaraj
• Background of Modern Civ

• Disputing Words and Things

• Gandhi’s Argument

• Back to Hind Swaraj, and Closing…

https://pollev.com/loyhuichiehl068
Gandhi and Hind Swaraj
A very brief introduction to the man and the book…

image generated by midjourney

Hind Swaraj, or Indian Self/Home-Rule
• A short book of 20 chapters in the form of a dialogue
between an editor (standing in for Gandhi) and a reader
(standing in for various constituencies identified in
Chapter 20: the extremists, the moderates, and the
English).
• (I’ve left a summary on Canvas somewhere.)

• Two major themes of lasting influence (“Influence”

doesn’t always mean “people agree”).
• (1) Gandhi’s critique of modern industrial civilization;
• (2) Non-violent resistance as the means of change.
• A bit of historical background to both…
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948)
• Born to Hindu family in Gujarat. (India under
British rule at that time.)
• Studied law in University College, London,
and Inner Temple (1888-91).
• Joined trading firm Dada Abdullah & Co.
(1893) in South Africa.
• Thrown off a train at Pietermaritzburg
Station, Natal, a formative experience of
discrimination.
• Established Indian Opinion (1903).
• Organized Ambulance Corps to assist the
British during wars (1899, 1906, 1914).
• Mass civil disobedience (1907-1914) to end
discriminatory laws against the Indians in
South Africa. Jailed four times.
• Wrote Hind Swaraj (1909).
• Returned to India to work for Independence
from British rule on the principle of
Satyagraha (1915-1947).
• Indian National Congress adopted Gandhi’s
program (1920); became president of the INC
(1924). Jailed four times.
• Independence and partition of India and
Pakistan (1947).
• Began a fast in Calcutta to restore Hindu-
Muslim peace (1947), and in New Delhi to
restore Hindu-Muslim-Sikh peace (1948).
• Assassinated by Hindu extremist Nathuram
Godse (1948).
The salient points
• Living in the late 19th century British Empire:
• Gandhi’s British legal training; India and South African both
part of the Empire (facilitating movement).
• Exposure to Western writers (Leo Tolstoy, John Ruskin, etc.)
and Christianity (i.e., not just purely Indian influences).
• Civil rights for all Indians living in South African; thinking in
terms of “all Indians”, rather than, e.g., Hindus, Muslims, etc.

• Gandhi’s philosophy grew out of life experiences and personal

practice, they are not ‘purely theoretical’.
Young Gandhi as a
• (Question: How do your own life experiences influence the way
lawyer in South Africa you think about the human condition?)
Modern Civilization
The wider historical context; birth of the modern
industrial world we are so familiar with that it
becomes hard for us to imagine something else…
Industrial Revolution
• Industrial Revolution—a process that began in Britain (1760s-
1830s), spread throughout Europe, United States, and the rest
of the world.
• Use of machines and new energy sources (coal).
• Increased connectivity (transportation and communication)
and material living standards.
• Social changes (e.g., factories, modern employment terms,
labor unions, universal education, demand for universal
franchise and democracy), etc.

• (Question: Do fish know they are wet?)

Two Worlds
Before the Industrial Revolution:
• Majority of the population are in agriculture
(estimated 80%).
• Main sources of energy = animals, water, wind.
• Goods are made by craftsmen; only the very
wealthy have handcrafted luxuries.
• Few labor-saving devices (just employ servants).
• Uncertain effectiveness of medicine.
• Life mainly ordered by the seasons and the
pattern of day and night.
• Most information moves as fast as
transportation available to humans.
• Most people live in small communities and do
not need to deal with distant strangers.
After the Industrial Revolution:
• Majority of the population not in agriculture
(22% in 1850s Britain).
• Main source of energy = fossil fuel (mainly coal)
• Many goods (especially textile, in the earlier
days), mass produced by machines.
• Availability of labor-saving devices.
• Life saving medicine for the average person.
• Life ordered by mechanical time-keeping
devices; increased possibility for coordination.
• Most information moves at a fraction of the
speed of light (electrical signals).
• Many people live in cities among and need to
deal with strangers.
Thought Experiments
• Poll: Do you have a smartphone? Do you use any
“instant messaging” app?
• Poll: For those who answered yes, how often are
you contacted?
• Poll: How often do you feel compelled to reply
immediately?

• Wordcloud: How might life be worse without

instant communication?
• Wordcloud: How might life be better without
instant communication?
Remember this bit from Omelas?
• Paragraph (iii): “…how about technology? I think that there would be
no cars or helicopters in and above the streets; this follows from the
fact that the people of Omelas are happy people. Happiness is based
on a just discrimination of what is necessary, what is neither necessary
nor destructive, and what is destructive.

• Q: What is the proper relationship between happiness and technology

in the service of creature comfort?
Gandhi’s Challenge
• Gandhi’s point isn’t exactly “the pre-industrial world
is better, let’s go back…”
• His Hind Swaraj challenges us to think—
• Has life in modern industrial civilization been good
for us? —Good for our wellbeing and for morality.
• Are the things made abundant by modern industrial
civilization worthwhile?
Disputing Words and Things
The subject matter of the book is Swaraj, or Home Rule; but what exactly is the
nature of the issue? Is it a question of finding a definition?
The Subject Matter of the Book
READER: Just at present there is a Home Rule [Swaraj]
wave passing over India. All our countrymen appear to be Did you know that Sanskrit
pining for National Independence. A similar spirit pervades belongs in a family of
them even in South Africa. Indians seem to be eager after related “Indo-European
acquiring rights. Will you explain your views in this matter? Languages”?
EDITOR: You have well put the question, but the answer is
not easy… Words for “King”
(Hind Swaraj, p. 13) Sanskrit: raja
Latin: rex
Germanic: reiks
• Swaraj—Self-rule, home-rule, self-government, freedom Celtic/Gallic: rix
• Sanskrit: स्वराज (Svarāja); sva- “self”+ raj “rule” (French: roi)
(English: regal, royal)
Exercise
• Swaraj—Self-rule, home-rule, self-government, freedom
• Let’s start with the individual version of the concept:
• Q: You enjoy self-rule when…?
• (1) No one else rules over you; you get to do what you want
• (2) You are self-controlled: your emotions don’t get the
better of you; you do what you ought to do

• Repeat for the communal version:

• Q: Your community enjoys self-rule when…?
• (1) It is not ruled by those from outside the community
• (2) Your community has control over its own behavior—it
does what it ought to do.
Some Clues from the Hind Swaraj
• EDITOR: It is quite possible that we do not attach the same meaning to the term
[Swaraj]. You and I and all Indians are impatient to obtain Swaraj, but we are certainly
not decided as to what it is. (p. 25)

• Editor: You have well drawn the picture. In effect it means this: that we want English rule
without the Englishman. You want the tiger’s nature, but not the tiger; that is to say, you
would make India English, and, when it becomes English, it will be called not Hindustan
but Englistan. This is not the Swaraj that I want. (p. 27)

• Editor: There is need for patience. My views will develop of themselves in the course of
this discourse. It is as difficult for me to understand the true nature of Swaraj as it
seems to you to be easy. I shall, therefore, for the time being, content myself with
endeavouring to show that what you call Swaraj is not truly Swaraj. (p. 28)
Contested Concepts
• Not all “disputes over words” are about what the words mean in the
sense of “which dictionary definition?” Some are over substantive
issues—ideas and things, rather than words (see Primer 1.1, 1.3).

• The dispute over what is Swaraj is not:

• What is the word definition of the term? Is it “self-rule” rather than
something else?

• The Editor’s assumption = We all agree that Swaraj is self-rule

• But what does it really mean for us to rule over ourselves? What
must we do for us to achieve that? Who is the “self” here, and what
kind of “rule” is at stake at all?
• The prescriptive issues behind the descriptive ones.
(True) Swaraj and Civilization
• EDITOR: …Civilisation is that mode of conduct which points out to man the path of duty.
Performance of duty and observance of morality are convertible terms. To observe
morality is to attain mastery over our mind and our passions. So doing, we know
ourselves… (p. 65)
• EDITOR: …if we become free, India is free. And in this thought you have a definition of
Swaraj. It is Swaraj when we learn to rule ourselves. (p. 71)

• To flesh this out:

• Swaraj = each individual attaining mastery over their own mind and emotions—they
rule themselves by observing morality.
• Civilization = A social arrangement that points out to people the observance of morality.
• This is the starting point of Gandhi’s argument!
The Argument of Hind Swaraj
TL:DR Core Argument of Hind Swaraj
• (1) True civilization points out to people the path of duty/observance of morality. To observe
morality is to attain mastery over mind and passions, and so doing, we gain self knowledge
and true self-rule (swaraj). (see pp. 65, 71)

• Therefore, (2) anything that precludes people gaining self-knowledge and true self-rule does
not deserve the name “civilization”. (From (1))

• (3) Modern ‘civilization’ promotes bodily happiness rather than morality; the condition of
modern civilization precludes people gaining self-knowledge and self-rule (see p. 34ff).
• Therefore, (4) modern ‘civilization’ is not true civilization: those who gain it will not gain true
self-rule. (From (2), (3))

• (5) It is impossible to gain true self-rule by violent means (p. 78ff).

• (6) We (i.e., India) can gain true self-rule only by rejecting modern ‘civilization’ and by doing
that using non-violent means. (From (4), (5))
Engaging with Hind Swaraj
• Remember that our job isn’t to mindlessly agree with what Gandhi wrote, but to
sympathetically understand and thoughtfully engage with it. But how to do that?

• Two things not to confuse:

• Interpretive question: What is Gandhi saying? (e.g., what’s with all the references to
“god”, etc.) How does he get his points across (e.g., what’s with all the metaphors?)
• Evaluative question: Is what Gandhi saying something we ought to agree with? (e.g.,
should I also think that railway, doctors and lawyers are bad for humanity?)

• Hind Swaraj doesn’t just provide answers; Gandhi provided arguments.

• We’d better learn a bit about arguments…
Kungfu for Thinking the Human Condition
A quick recap of what we’ve covered so far:
• The different kinds of thinking represented by words
(description, prescription, prediction; classifications and
definitions, etc.)
• Noticing the way words can be used to move us
• Evidence based closing reading
• Anachronisms and perspective taking

The next few to come:

• Reasoning expressed in words, arguments
• Metaphors (next lecture)
• Inference to the best explanation (after the recess week)
A Short Lesson on Arguments
• An argument is a series of statements (“propositions”),
• Where some of those statements (at least one, but finite
in number)—called the premises—are put forward to
support one called the conclusion.
• A basic argument thus has the following logical structure:
Statement 1, Statement 2, Monty Python’s
Statement 3,… Statement Argument Clinic Sketch
N (Premises) (look out for the definition around 1:31)

supporting connection Statement X (Conclusion)

• (Note that logical structure need not be the same as order Primer 3.1-2
expression in language.)
Stacking arguments? Sure, why not?

Statement 1, Statement 2,
Statement 3 Statement 5, Statement 6

Statement 4 (From 1, 2, 3) Statement 7 (From 5, 6)

Statement 8 (From 4, 7)
Some indicative words…
Words that can indicate premises: Words that can indicate conclusions:
• Because_____ • Therefore/hence/thus_____
• Since_____ • Consequently_____
• For_____ • It follows that_____
• For the reason that_____ • We can infer that_____
• …can be inferred from_____ • We can conclude that_____
• (Etc.) • (Etc.)
(The _____ is where the premise goes.) (The _____ is where the conclusion goes.)

Note: These words aren’t always used (you can Hint: It’s usually easier to first try to figure out
write an argument without them). We need to what the writer is trying to get across as that’s
read carefully and pay attention to what is usually the conclusion; the premises can then
written or said. be figured out.
TL:DR Core Argument of Hind Swaraj
• (1) True civilization points out to people the path of duty/observance of morality. To observe
morality is to attain mastery over mind and passions, and so doing, we gain self knowledge
and true self-rule (swaraj). (see pp. 65, 71)

• Therefore, (2) anything that precludes people gaining self-knowledge and true self-rule does
not deserve the name “civilization”. (From (1))

• (3) Modern ‘civilization’ promotes bodily happiness rather than morality; the condition of
modern civilization precludes people gaining self-knowledge and self-rule (see p. 34ff).
• Therefore, (4) modern ‘civilization’ is not true civilization: those who gain it will not gain true
self-rule. (From (2), (3))

• (5) It is impossible to gain true self-rule by violent means (p. 78ff).

• (6) We (i.e., India) can gain true self-rule only by rejecting modern ‘civilization’ and by doing
that using non-violent means. (From (4), (5))
 Core Argument of Hind Swaraj, Visualized
(1) True civilization points out to people the path of duty/observance of
morality. To observe morality is to attain mastery over mind and passions, and
so doing, we gain self knowledge and true self-rule (swaraj). (see pp. 65, 71)

(2) anything that precludes people gaining self- (3) Modern ‘civilization’ promotes bodily happiness rather
knowledge and true self-rule does not deserve than morality; the condition of modern civilization precludes
the name “civilization”. (From 1) people gaining self-knowledge and self-rule (see p. 34ff).

(4) modern ‘civilization’ is not true civilization: those who gain it will (5) It is impossible to gain true self-
not gain true self-rule. (From (2), (3)) rule by violent means (p. 78ff).

(6) We (i.e., India) can gain true self-rule only by rejecting modern
‘civilization’ and by doing that using non-violent means. (From (4), (5))
 Evaluation of arguments
(2) anything that precludes people gaining self- (3) Modern ‘civilization’ promotes bodily happiness rather
knowledge and true self-rule does not deserve than morality; the condition of modern civilization precludes
the name “civilization”. (From 1) people gaining self-knowledge and self-rule (see p. 34ff).

(4) modern ‘civilization’ is not true civilization: those who gain it will
not gain true self-rule. (From (2), (3))

Two points of evaluation:

• Do the premises support the conclusion?
• Are the premises true? Do we accept them?

• Q: Notice something? Is there a missing question?

Some Closing Thoughts…
Having attended this session…
• Can you briefly the historical background of Gandhi and his Hind Swaraj?
• Explain how swaraj is a "contested concept"
• Explain the basic idea of an argument, telling apart its different components, to navigate
the core argument of the Hind Swaraj?

Things to think about as you read the Hind Swaraj text: How does this text change your
mind about the human condition?
• What is the true purpose of civilization—Bodily comfort? Morality? Something else?
• What is true self-rule—To do as one wants? To be in control over self?
• Does modern industrial society promote bodily happiness at the expense of morality
and true self-rule?
A further thought
• Remember the narrator in Omelas? Getting a point across not just with informational
content, but also the form of the writing.

• Hind Swaraj as a dialogue between a “reader” a newspaper “editor”

• Q: Why not just argue straight? Why a dialogue? Gandhi says that he did this “to make it
easy reading” (Foreword); but how does that help? (For your own thinking…)

• Notice the use of metaphors in Hind Swaraj: modern civilization as a “disease”, ahimsa
(non-violence) as a “weapon”, etc.
• Q: What are metaphors exactly and how do they work in Gandhi’s argumentation?
• More about this in next week’s lecture by Dr Cathay Liu and Tutorial 3.
Next Week
Read/watch before lecture:
• MK Gandhi - Hind Swaraj
• Bee Wilson, “The Irreplacible” (also in Files > Readings)
• The Ugly Truth Of Fast Fashion | Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj | Netflix

HSH-with-me this week