Philosophy
Two streams of thought converge in my personal approach to philosophy and ethics:
Bhedābheda Vedānta, as articulated by Jīva Goswāmī1 in his Ṣaṭ Sandarbhas. This particular form of Vedānta offers an alternative conception of eternal self-identity (jīvātmā) independent of mind and matter. With this foundation in place, Goswāmī builds a case and a method to pursue pure selfless service (ahaitukī bhakti).
Gandhian social ethics, which was the interdisciplinary focus of my Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (2014-2019). My research included a critical deconstruction of the underpinnings of the European Enlightenment and (neo)liberal political philosophy utilizing the framework of Jīva Gosvāmī’s Bhedābheda Vedānta philosophy. I concluded with a Gandhian perspective on nonviolent, collaborative social arrangements.2
1"Jīva assembles a theological mosaic that is largely constructed out of pre-existing 'pieces' from other traditions, and therefore I characterize his project as one of 'mosaic theology' or 'bricolage theology.'" Haas, Simon M. "Jīva Gosvāmī’s Theological Bricolage: Constructing Caitanya Vaiṣṇava Theology Out of the Religious 'Other'", Journal of Vaishnava Studies, Volume 33, No. 1, Fall 2024. pp. 181-201.
2"By foregrounding sevā as a lived practice, the paper situates Indian religious traditions as a distinctive contribution to broader postcapitalist and postsecular debates. It argues that sevā offers an alternative model of personhood and ethical intentionality—one that contests dominant binaries of spiritual/material, secular/religious, and human/nature, and reimagines human flourishing through the lens of relational ontology and collective responsibility." Erlich, Michal, and Ricki Levi. "Sevā as a Postcapitalist Model for Environmental and Collective Well-Being in the Postsecular Age." Religions 16.6 (2025): 761. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16060761