Hindu philosophy refers to the diverse family of philosophical systems (darshanas) that developed within the Hindu intellectual tradition on the Indian subcontinent, addressing questions of metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and the nature of the self and ultimate reality. The term encompasses both the six classical orthodox (astika) schools - Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Mimamsa, and Vedanta - and related heterodox or semi-orthodox movements that engaged with similar questions, such as Charvaka materialism. There is no single doctrine that all schools share; some are theistic, some non-theistic, and they disagree on subjects ranging from the existence of God to the nature of causation. For broader context on the religious tradition from which these schools emerged, see Hinduism.

Contemporary scholarship treats Hindu philosophy as a plural and historically layered field rather than a single system. Vedanta - particularly the Advaita (non-dualist) sub-school associated with Adi Shankaracharya - has often been described as the most internationally visible school since the 19th and 20th centuries, partly through the work of modern interpreters such as Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who presented Vedantic thought to Western academic audiences. Other classical schools, including Samkhya-Yoga and the logic-oriented Nyaya-Vaisheshika tradition, continue to be studied primarily within specialist academic and traditional scholastic (pandita) circles. Modern scholars differ on how to characterize the relationship between these schools and the category “Hinduism” itself, and on how much continuity exists between classical darshana texts and contemporary popular presentations of Hindu thought; see hindu-philosophy-modern-interpretation-debate. For the historical development of these schools from the Vedic period onward, see hindu-philosophy-history.

• Advaita (non-dualist) Vedanta holds that the individual self (atman) is ultimately identical with the universal absolute (Brahman), and that perceived plurality is a function of ignorance (avidya). See hindu-philosophy-advaita-vedanta-viewpoint.
• Dvaita (dualist) Vedanta, associated with Madhvacharya, holds that the individual self and Brahman remain eternally distinct, rejecting the identity claim central to Advaita. See hindu-philosophy-dvaita-vedanta-viewpoint.
• Vishishtadvaita (qualified non-dualism), associated with Ramanuja, holds that the self and world are real and form the “body” of Brahman, distinct from yet inseparable from it. See hindu-philosophy-vishishtadvaita-viewpoint.
• Samkhya holds a dualist ontology of consciousness (purusha) and matter (prakriti), without requiring a creator God. See hindu-philosophy-samkhya-viewpoint.
• Nyaya-Vaisheshika emphasizes logic, epistemology, and atomistic physics as the proper basis for philosophical inquiry, and is generally theistic. See hindu-philosophy-nyaya-vaisheshika-viewpoint.
• Purva Mimamsa centers on the interpretation and ritual authority of the Vedas, with less emphasis on metaphysical speculation. See hindu-philosophy-mimamsa-viewpoint.
• Charvaka materialism, a heterodox school, rejects the authority of the Vedas, the existence of an afterlife, and metaphysical entities not verifiable by direct perception. See hindu-philosophy-charvaka-viewpoint.

• Disputes persist over whether Adi Shankaracharya's Advaita Vedanta represents the authentic core of Hindu philosophy or one school elevated to prominence for historical and political reasons. See hindu-philosophy-advaita-centrality-controversy.

• hindu-philosophy-history
• hindu-philosophy-modern-interpretation-debate
• hindu-philosophy-advaita-centrality-controversy
• hindu-philosophy-advaita-vedanta-viewpoint
• hindu-philosophy-dvaita-vedanta-viewpoint
• hindu-philosophy-vishishtadvaita-viewpoint
• hindu-philosophy-samkhya-viewpoint
• hindu-philosophy-nyaya-vaisheshika-viewpoint
• hindu-philosophy-mimamsa-viewpoint
• hindu-philosophy-charvaka-viewpoint
• Hinduism

1. Radhakrishnan, Sarvepalli. Indian Philosophy, vol. 1-2. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1923-1927.
2. Shankaracharya, Adi. Brahmasutrabhashya. Translated by George Thibaut as The Vedanta-Sutras of Badarayana, with the Commentary by Sankara. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1890.
3. Dasgupta, Surendranath. A History of Indian Philosophy, vol. 1-5. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1922-1955.
4. Hiriyanna, Mysore. Outlines of Indian Philosophy. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1932.