Dr. Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette
Assistant Professor
Dr. Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette obtained his PhD (2018) in Indian Philosophies from the Institute for Indology and Tibetology of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, in Munich, Germany. He is now Assistant Professor at the Department of Philosophy (DoP) at MAHE. He published extensively on the early developments of Sanskrit philosophical doxography and now researches on the phenomena of list-making and taxonomy within the spiritual exercises of South-Asian gnostic yogas. In general, he is exploring the ancient South-Asian intellectual dimensions of spiritual life, especially in the scholastic and ascetic aspects of their expression. In brief, he has taken interest in what he describes as the ‘yoga of reason’, or the ‘path of knowledge’ (jnana-yoga) pursued by Gnostics belonging either to the Hindu, Buddhist, or Jain traditions.
Qualification: Bachelor of Arts from Laval University, Canada 2005 /Master of Arts from Laval University, Canada 2011 /Master of Arts from Jawaharlal Nehru University, India 2013 /Doctor of Philosophy from LMU Munich, Germany 2018
CURRENT ACADEMIC ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES
I am currently teaching Indian forms of ontology.
SUBJECTS CURRENTLY TEACHING
| Subject | Semester / Year |
|---|---|
| Indian Metaphysics | MS2 |
| Vedic Ethics | MS |
| Clinical Philosophy | MS3 |
| Critical Thinking | Open Elective |
| Metaphysics 2 | MS3 |
| Philosophy | MS1 |
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
| Degree | Specialisation | Institute | Year of passing |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhD | Indology | Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität | 2018 |
| MA | Sanskrit | Jawaharlal Nehru University | 2013 |
| MA | Sciences of Religions | Université Laval | 2011 |
| BA | Ancient Studies | Université Laval | 2005 |
| College Degree (DEC) | Journalism, Art and Technologies of Media | Cégep de Jonquière | 2002 |
Experience
| Institution / Organisation | Designation | Role | Tenure |
|---|---|---|---|
| FWO (Ghent University) | Post-Doctoral Fellowship | PI Post-Doctoral Researcher | N/A |
| Gonda Foundation of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW at Leiden University) | Post-Doctoral Fellowship | Post-Doctoral Researcher | N/A |
| Graduiertenschule, Distant Worlds, Munich Grduate School For Ancient Studies | Doctoral Fellow, Organization of Coexistence | Doctoral Researcher | N/A |
List-Making as Spiritual Exercise Philosophy, Taxonomy, and Renunciation in Gnostic Yogas
South-Asian Gnosticism; Taxonomy; Spiritual Exercises
My current research project examines the significance of taxonomical list-making as a determining feature of ‘spiritual exercises’ in South-Asian gnostic yogas. It reflects on the practice in general as a universal habit significant to the study of human and natural sciences, with focus on literature, philosophy, and psychology. I choose to examine the notion of ‘list’ since it pervades South-Asian gnostic literature, and for the relative convenience it offers in identifying a basic pattern of thought common among human cultures, beyond the region.
AREAS OF INTEREST, EXPERTISE AND RESEARCH
Area of Interest
Classical Indian Philosophies; South-Asian Religions
Area of Expertise
Philosophy; Religious Studies; Philosophy of Religion; Buddhism; Jainism; Hinduism
Area of Research
Doxography, Spiritual Exercises; South-Asian Gnosticism; Renunciation; Yoga of Reasoning; Taxonomy; List-Making; Ancient Indian Scholasticism
Professional Affiliations & Contributions
- EDITOR for the Journal of Global Buddhism
- ASSOCIATE MEMBER of the Koselleck-Project - Histories of Philosophy in a Global Perspectiv, Hildesheim University, Germany
- ASSOCIATE MEMBER Centre d'études et de rechercher sur l'Inde, l'Asie du Sud et sa diaspora (CERIAS) - Univertié du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Canada
- MEMBER, SANGH - South Asia Network Ghent University, Belgium
Dialogue and Doxography in Indian Philosophy: Points of View in Buddhist, Jaina, and Advaita Vedānta Traditions
2020 Karl-StéphanBouthillette
Monograph
Acknowledging the Philosophical and Spiritual Value of Doxography as a Literary Genre
2021 Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette
Journal Paper
Hermeneutic Praxis: The Yoga of Reason(ing)
2017 Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette
Journal Paper
Battle for Middle Way, Bhāviveka's Dialectical Strategy in Context
2017 Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette
Journal Paper
Taking the Enemy as Medicine: Dialectic and Therapy in the Work of Two Early Indian Doxographers
2015 Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette
Journal Paper
S’initier soi-même : le cas de Lobsang Rampa
2014 Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette
Electronic Journal
The Dialogical and Therapeutic Paradigms in Indian Philosophy
2023 Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette
Book Chapter
Bhāviveka. Madhyamaka Dialectic, Doxography, and Soteriology
2023 Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette
Book Chapter
Reconsidering the Sarva-Siddhānta-Saṅgraha: Authorship, Doxography and Pedagogy
2019 Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette
Book Chapter
Review of: Matthew David Litwa, ‘Posthuman Transformation in Ancient Mediterranean Thought. Becoming Angels and Demons’
2022 Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette
Book Review
Review of: Dustin J. Byrd, ‘The critique of religion and religion’s critique: on dialectical religiology’
2021 Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette
Book Review
Review of: Jose Ignacio Cabezon. ‘Sexuality in Classical South Asian Buddhism’
2021 Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette
Book Review
Review of: Douglas S. Duckworth, ‘The Profound Reality of Interdependence: An Overview of the Wisdom Chapter of the Way of the Bodhisattva’
2021 Karl-StéphanBouthillette
Book Review
Review of: Jessica Frazier, ‘Hindu Worldviews, Theories of Self, Ritual and Reality’
2019 Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette
Book Review
Le yoga de la raison, Initiation à la pensée de l'Inde
2017 Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette
Non-Academic Monograph
Relire T. Lobsang Rampa, Analyse D'un Mythe Moderne
2016
MA Thesis in Monograph Format