This book reconstructs the pre-state philosophy, ti?ai (indigenous lifeway), the origins of which are traceable to the pre-Holocene epoch. ti?ai is both the world of this philosophy as well as the way of living harmoniously with all beings of this world.

It reconceptualizes the discipline of philosophy itself by exploring the semantic horizons of the term k??ci without falling back on the western idea of this discipline and thus earns its indispensable niche. The book also shows how this philosophy was practiced both within and without home. It demonstrates how k??ci ("vision," the Tamil word for philosophy), the philosophical practice of living out ti?ai, is a kind of action that is at once rational, emotional and volitional, and how this praxis is guided by the ultimate value of a?pu or love.

Comprehensive and insightful, this volume will be of interest to scholars of Indian philosophy, philosophies of the world, ancient civilizations, indigenous studies or tribal studies, comparative philosophy, Indian Studies, South Asian Studies, and Studies of the Global South.