The Story of My Experiments with Truth Themes

The Story of My Experiments with Truth Themes

Philosophical Viewpoints: Non-violence

In a world where war is common, violence can start to seem kind of acceptable…as long as it's against the baddies. After all, many people would fight to defend themselves or get revenge—which t...

Truth

What is truth? According to Gandhi in his autobiography The Story of My Experiments with Truth, it's God and the greatest good after which we should be seeking. While most of us associate the term...

Religion

Inspired by his devout mother and the religious tolerance of his father, Gandhi sought to understand all the religions he came across…and he describes this process in The Story of My Experiments...

Justice and Judgment

Often we know the basics of history's social justice movements—what legislation was passed, the names of leaders—but less often do we see behind the scenes. In his autobiography The Story of My...

Duty

Duty is, well, what you have to do. But what happens when your sense of duty conflicts with other ideals? In The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Gandhi explains why he participates in war on th...

Morality and Ethics

In The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Gandhi displays an admirable dedication to morality and ethics—far more than most people can claim. But by no means is he perfect; he tells us how he le...

Society and Class

The caste system in India is a centuries-old system dividing up people by profession and birth, but it's changed in recent times, with discrimination based on caste becoming illegal. That's in part...

Education

In The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Gandhi tells us his own theories on education—learn multiple languages, strengthen your body, and mind your handwriting. He thinks children learn best f...

Foreignness and "the Other"

In The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Gandhi describes the relationship between the foreign British rulers and the subjugated Indian members of the empire's colony. The story starts with himse...

Lust

If there's one bit of Gandhi gossip you've heard, it's that the man gave up sex. In The Story of My Experiments with Truth, he fills us in on his practice of brahmacharya, which means conduct leadi...