Indian Logic and Atomism: An Exposition of the Nyaya and Vaisheshika Schools

Author: (English) Keith
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-02-01
Features: The logic discipline in India is generally divided into five parts: the logic of grammar, also known as the logic of declaration. It is centered around the Sanskrit grammar of Panini; the teachings of the Mimamsa school, which begins with the interpretation of ritual classics and has historically involved various linguistic logic issues; the third is the teachings of the Nyaya and Vaisheshika schools, whose origins are naturally philosophical, but their special interest in cosmic constitution and linguistic expression for liberation also gave rise to a meticulous logical system; the fourth is the Buddhist logic of Hetuvidya, which has already been mentioned in Shanghai; the fifth is the logic of the new Nyaya school. It is the final form of Hindu logic. From the 13th century to the present day, the new Nyaya school has always faced challenges. This book is titled Indian Logic and Atomism. It is named using Western philosophical terms. The meaning of Indian logic has already been explained above; atomism, also known as the theory of paramanu. Paramanu refers to something extremely small and subtle, hence being compared to the atomic theory of ancient Greece. In India, the school of Vaisheshika philosophy should be the first to articulate the theory of paramanu. The Buddhist school of the Sarvastivada, which emerged slightly later and almost simultaneously with Vaisheshika, also advocated the theory of paramanu. From the perspective of the essence of atomic units alone, the two schools may have mutually borrowed from each other and have no fundamental differences.