The Concept of Self in Advaita Vedanta and Western Idealism: A Comparative Analysis of the Advaitic Idea of Atman-Brahman Identity with Immanuel Kant’s Transcendental Idealism or Hegel’s Absolute Idealism
Poornaprajna International Journal of Philosophy & Languages March 17, 2025 Ramanathan Srinivasan, P. S. Aithal
A philosophical comparison of selfhood in Advaita Vedanta and Western Idealism shows that while both traditions explore the nature of ultimate reality and self-awareness, they diverge in method and conclusion. Advaita Vedanta, particularly Shankara's non-dualism, identifies the individual self (Atman) with ultimate reality (Brahman) as pure consciousness. Immanuel Kant distinguishes the phenomenal self, subject to experience, from the unknowable noumenal self, while Hegel's Absolute Idealism presents reality as an evolving self-conscious unity. The analysis uses exploratory qualitative research, gathering information from keyword searches in Google, Google Scholar, and AI-driven GPTs. The comparison highlights convergences and divergences in their understanding of self, perception, and ultimate reality.