Sen traces that tradition back to the Rig Veda, a sacred text written when both the pyramids and Stonehenge were still in use, because the Veda enshrines at its center an idea of uncertainty about the divine: 'Who really knows?' it asks: 'Whence is this creation? Perhaps it formed itself, perhaps it did not.

When in Europe Giordano Bruno was being burned for heresy in the Campo dei Fiori, in South Asia the Mughal Emperor Akbar was declaring that 'no man should be interfered with on account of religion.' The sheer diversity of faiths and competing ideas that have always coexisted in India has led to a fecund and tolerant argumentative tradition. Finally, the book explores modern cultures of secularism and liberalism in an Indian context.It is no bad thing to be reminded, as Sen reminds us, that the East has venerable traditions of public participation in decision making, of government by discussion, and of religious tolerance.

The third section looks at conflicts of class and criticises inequalities in Indian society and arguments that have been used to justify them. The second section seeks to restore the reputation of Rabindranath Tagore as an intellectual polymath, combining spiritual and political ideas, and explores India's relationship to other cultures, including the West and China, especially the peaceful and intellectually rewarding cross-fertilising relationship between the two great Asian cultures. The first section looks at the general culture of pluralistic debate within India, dating back to Buddha and kings such as Ashoka. The book takes the form of four sections containing linked essays: 'Voice and Heterodoxy', 'Culture and Communication', 'Politics and Protest', 'Reason and Identity'. The understanding and use of this argumentative tradition are critically important, Sen argues, for the success of India's democracy, the defence of its secular politics, the removal of inequalities related to class, caste, gender and community, and the pursuit of sub-continental peace. The Argumentative Indian has brought together a selection of writings from Sen that outline the need to understand contemporary India in the light of its long argumentative tradition. Martha Nussbaum says the book 'demonstrates the importance of public debate in Indian traditions generally.' : 47–48 It is a collection of essays that discuss India's history and identity, focusing on the traditions of public debate and intellectual pluralism. The Argumentative Indian is a book written by Nobel Prize winning Indian economist Amartya Sen.

The argumentative indian