[European contacts with India]

[Stephen Hodge]

1.    Jogesh Panda wrote:

Could you be referring to the following articles ?

a) Early Greek Philosophy and Maadhyamika, Thomas McEvilley,
Philosophy East
and West, 31,2, [1981]; and

b) Pyrrhonism and Maadhyamika, Thomas McEvilley, Philosophy East and
West,
32,1,[1982].

**********
Yes, especially item B.

> These papers illustrate the parallelism between two dialectical
systems.
> No claim is made regarding the direction of flow.

Of course, the author does not make any claims but suggests that IF
there were any -- a possibility which he does not rule out -- the flow
must have been from the West.   See especially pp26 -31.  He also
states that the evidence is suggestive with regards the Madyamika
parallels but not conclusive (for obvious reasons).

2.    Erik Hoogcarspel wrote:

> I see three possible objections

> 1.    The Greek-Roman skeptic tradition claims to stand on his own
feet

Yes, agreed.

> 2.    their skeptic arguments are alike but not the same as
Nagarjuna's,
> they have a distinct flavor and form.

However, the article mentioned above describes a number of striking
features in common.  I suggest you have a quick look at it if
possible -- personally, I am agnostic in this respect though I find
the hypothesis intriguing.

> 3.    It's an unnecessary hypothesis and so must be cut by Occams
razor.
But fact is often stranger than fiction and does not always fit well
with our preconceptions of what ought to be the case.  Events in the
real world often tend to be rather more fuzzy than William of Ockham
would allow.

> We know that many older Greek philosophers (PE the sofists) already
had caught the
> drift and it's a very logical reaction against Platonic dogmatism.

Neither I nor McEvilley suggests the likelihood that the influences,
if any, went from East to West -- MacEvilley clearly rejects this
hypothesis but he does however contenance the possibility that there
was an influence specifically from Pyrrhonist type of scepticism to
early Madhyamika.  For myself, like Nagarjuna, I have no views on this
:)

Best wishes,
Stephen Hodge