Gandhi’s Popular Sovereignty of Truth

This book offers a philosophical reconstruction of Gandhi’s political thought as a form of devotional democracy in which the sovereign people speak the voice of truth as God’s voice.

Part One addresses Gandhi’s relationship to the history of modern Western political thought, and key thinkers such as Hobbes, Locke, and Hegel. 

Part Two explores the concept of a Gandhian devotional democracy in relation to contemporary political thought and decidedly illiberal thinkers, such as Ivan Ilyin and Curtis Yarvin, as well as contemporary trends including populism, traditionalism, along with important developments like AI superintelligence and interspecies politics.

The book aims not only to locate Gandhi in the historical context of modern and contemporary political philosophy but to also demonstrate the potential for his political thought to undergo sympathetic and constructive reinterpretation. It encourages readers to reassess and rethink the role of ‘soul force’ as superior to state power as well as a nation’s capacity to realize truth devotionally.

Gandhi’s Popular Sovereignty of Truth is essential reading for all scholars, researchers and advanced students of political philosophy especially those focussing on the thought of Mahatma Gandhi. 

Dr. Michael Allen is a Professor in the Department of Philosophy at East Tennessee State University, USA.