Bihar Intermediate Philosophy (BSEB) study guide
Bihar Intermediate Philosophy (BSEB) · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Bihar Intermediate Philosophy examination is the Class 12 elective paper offered under the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) for students in the Intermediate (higher secondary) stream, usually Arts. It suits candidates who want a structured introduction to philosophical problems in both the Indian and Western traditions, and it is often taken by students preparing for undergraduate study in philosophy, religion, education, law or civil-services examinations where reasoning and essay writing matter. The Bihar Intermediate Philosophy (BSEB) study guide has 10 sections and about 2,627 words.
01Indian Philosophy: Origins, Meaning and General Characteristics; Vedic and Upanishadic Thought
Indian philosophy (darśana, 'seeing') grows from Vedic ritual and Upanishadic inquiry. The four Vedas-Ṛg, Sāma, Yajur, Atharva-contain hymns, ritual manuals, forest treatises and Upanishads.
286 words, about 1 min02Charvaka (Lokayata) Materialism
Cārvāka, also called Lokāyata, is traced to Bṛhaspati and survives mainly in hostile summaries. It accepts perception (pratyakṣa) alone as pramāṇa and rejects inference as a route to certainty, especially about unseen karma, soul and God.
262 words, about 1 min03Jainism: Anekantavada, Syadvada and the Theory of Karma
Jainism holds that reality is manifold (anekānta): every object has many aspects. Nayavāda analyses one aspect from a standpoint; syādvāda expresses completeness with 'syāt' ('in some respect').
259 words, about 1 min04Buddhism: Four Noble Truths, Pratityasamutpada, Anatta and Nirvana
The Buddha's first sermon sets out dukkha (unsatisfactoriness), samudaya (its arising in taṇhā, craving), nirodha (cessation) and magga (the Eightfold Path). The path's eight limbs are right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration.
268 words, about 1 min05Nyaya and Vaisheshika: Pramanas, Padartha and Inference
Nyāya lists four pramāṇas: pratyakṣa (perception), anumāna (inference), upamāna (comparison/analogy) and śabda (reliable testimony). Vaiśeṣika analyses reality into padārthas: dravya (substance), guṇa (quality), karma (action), sāmānya (universal), viśeṣa (particularity), samavāya (inherence), with abhāva (absence) added later.
247 words, about 1 min06Samkhya and Yoga: Prakriti, Purusha, Gunas and the Eight Limbs
Sāṃkhya is dualist: puruṣa is pure consciousness, plural and inactive; prakṛti is primordial nature, active and unconscious. Prakṛti consists of three guṇas: sattva (lucidity), rajas (activity) and tamas (inertia).
236 words, about 1 min07Mimamsa and Vedanta: Advaita, Vishishtadvaita and Dvaita
Mīmāṃsā centres on dharma, Vedic injunction and precise ritual interpretation. Verbal testimony (śabda) is authoritative; apūrva is the unseen potency of action; karma leads to results, and liberation is release from karmic consequence.
276 words, about 1 min08Western Philosophy: Greek Thinkers to Modern Rationalism and Empiricism
Western philosophy begins with Presocratics asking about archē: Thales water, Heraclitus flux, Parmenides being. Socrates turns to definition and ethical inquiry; Plato posits Forms and knowledge as recollection; Aristotle develops substance, four causes, syllogism and virtue as habituation.
260 words, about 1 min09Ethics: Moral Concepts, Indian and Western Ethical Theories
Ethics examines good, right, duty, virtue, happiness, conscience and freedom. A moral judgment may concern character (virtue), action (deontology), or consequences (teleology).
251 words, about 1 min10Logic and Epistemology: Proposition, Argument, Truth and Validity
A proposition is what a declarative sentence asserts; it is truth-bearing. An argument is a set of premises offered as support for a conclusion.
282 words, about 1 min