Richard De Smet

This collection of book reviews critically examines contemporary works in philosophy, religion, spirituality, media studies, and consciousness studies. The reviewed texts engage diverse themes such as the concept of personhood in Advaita Vedanta through Richard De Smet’s interpretation of Sankara, John Henry Newman’s epistemology as a response to modern atheism, Ran Lahav’s contemplative approach in Deep Philosophy, feminist and spiritual reinterpretations of the Ramayana through Sita’s perspective, the social and political dangers of fake news, and neuroscientific explorations of consciousness by Anil Seth. Together, these reviews highlight ongoing dialogues between Eastern and Western philosophical traditions, faith and reason, spirituality and modernity, as well as technology, media, and human identity. The essays emphasize interdisciplinary reflection and demonstrate how philosophical and religious inquiry continue to address contemporary existential, ethical, and cultural concerns.

Sara Grant (1922-2000), influenced by Adi Saṅkaracarya and shaped by Richard De Smet, rethinks key metaphysical categories-relation, non-duality, and personhood-without reducing Advaita to Western monism or Christian theism. This article examines her account of relation (saṃbandha) in Saṅkara's thought, situating it within the De Smet School and engaging concepts such as tādātmya, avidyā, adhyāsa, and lakṣaṇā. It argues that Grant develops a philosophically rigorous account of relation as epistemologically necessary and soteriologically significant, though not ultimately real, thereby opening new avenues for comparative philosophy and Hindu-Christian dialogue.