Not every classical Indian philosopher accepted sacred texts, karma, rebirth, or liberation.

This week we look at the Cārvāka school of thought, a tradition of materialism and skepticism. Famous for challenging many mainstream assumptions about knowledge, authority, and liberation the Cārvāka school were the punk rockers of their time. Its critics accused it of hedonism. Its surviving fragments raise questions about evidence, authority, pleasure, and how one should live without metaphysical guarantees.