Samiksha Goyal

Biography

Samiksha Goyal's research lies at the intersection of the history of philosophy and moral theory. Her project, “Detached Love: A Gandhian Notion,” examines how the ideas of detachment and love for all come together in the ethical thought of Mahatma Gandhi as a form of non-possessive love directed towards the pursuit of moral good. This project develops a philosophical account of Gandhi’s idea of detached love while also tracing its intellectual influences, particularly from Jain philosophy. More broadly, her research investigates whether detachment can serve as a resource for virtue theory by helping reconcile the demands of moral justification with the subjective aspects of moral agents. To pursue these questions, she engages with the moral concepts in classical Indian texts from Hindu and Jain traditions alongside Gandhi’s writings, while placing these ideas in conversation with Western moral philosophy.

So far in her published work, Goyal has theorised some of the methodological challenges in studying the meta-ethical implications of Gandhi’s thought (Routledge Companion to Indian Ethics), explicated the view of Moral agency in Gandhi’s thought (Economic and Political Weekly), and argued to explain the problems involved in interpreting the honorific of Mahatma as a Saint in the case of Gandhi (Economic and Political Weekly).

Goyal grew up in India and moved to Australia for her Ph.D. at Monash University, Melbourne. In India, Samiksha received an M.Phil., an M.A. and a B.A (Honours) in Philosophy from the University of Delhi. Her research has been supported by various fellowships and awards from the University of Delhi (India), Monash University (Australia), Extending New Narratives in the History of Philosophy Project (SSHRC, Canada).