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Jaina Theory of “ANUMĀNA” [Inference]: Some Aspects

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Handbook of Logical Thought in India

Abstract

The chapter takes a thoroughly analytical, but somewhat nontraditional, look at the Jaina theory of anumāna in its various aspects. A critical analysis of the scheme of classification of anumāna-s into “svārtha” and “parārtha” is undertaken to show that a svārthānumāna is only a proto-anumāna, not a standard anumāna at all. So, it is wrong and misleading to consider both of them as “anumāna-s” in the same sense. Next, the features of bahirvyāpti and of antarvyāpti are compared, the respective roles played by each of them in universal generalizations and some severe limitations of bahirvyāpti in this respect, etc., are critically discussed one by one. After a detailed analysis of the definition of “antarvyāpti,” it is claimed that antarvyāpti signifies a “semantic-conceptual linkage,” and, in this respect, it has a thematic affinity to Kant’s notion of “synthetic a priori judgements.” “Logical” and “methodological” aspects of antarvyāpti are dis-entangled next. It is followed by a thorough discussion of the nature of Hetvābhāsas, the reasons why they are not to be viewed as purely formal fallacies, an enumeration of different types of hetvābhāsas, lessons to learn from some queer instances of “fallaciously valid” argument-patterns in Western logic, etc. Topics such as the Minimum Number of avayava-s required in an Inferential Unit, notion of “existence” and of Vikalpa as “existence proof,” notions of Contradiction, Contextualization of LNC in Jaina Logic, etc., are discussed after it. The need of balancing between the ontic and the epistemic conceptions of logic, replacing the tautology-centric notion of “deductive validity” by an information-theoretic-cum-context-sensitive notion of “logical infer-ability” [Sanskrit, “anumeyatva”] are discussed next. In the section “Concluding Remarks,” attention is drawn to what the author considers to be an emerging trend of mutual convergence of the respective outlooks [viz., the respective “epistemic” and “ontic” outlooks] of Indian and Western logicians. A final such convergence may even need a radical “paradigm-shift” in the patterns of logical thinking. It is not expected to be an easy task at all. Nevertheless, it feels better to keep dreaming about it as a realizable goal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jadavpur Univ & U of Waterloo, Windsor, ON, Canada

    Tushar K. Sarkar

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  1. Tushar K. Sarkar
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  1. Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humani, Manipal University, Manipal, Karnataka, India

    Sundar Sarukkai

  2. School of Cognitive Science, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

    Mihir Chakraborty

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  1. School of Cognitive Science, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

    Mihir Chakraborty

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Sarkar, T.K. (2021). Jaina Theory of “ANUMĀNA” [Inference]: Some Aspects. In: Sarukkai, S., Chakraborty, M. (eds) Handbook of Logical Thought in India. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-1812-8_37-1

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