Logic and Belief in Indian Philosophy

by Piotr Balcerowicz

The Present volume explores a theme which has so far rarely received the attention it legitimately deserves, although its fundamental importance to proper understanding of the true nature of Indian philosophical enquiry and intellectual heritage seems unquestionable, Whether in Indian social and historical context or throughout the history of Western thought, the relation between logic, belief and philosophy have always been very complex and multifaceted.

The general theme of the enquiry presented here is adequately reflected in the title of the volume: Logic and Belief in Indian Philosophy, which aptly highlights the yukti-agama dimension. In particular, it focuses on various aspects of Indian thought, and Indian logic in particular, with special emphasis on the relationship, and tension, between rational examination and belief in Indian Philosophical tradition.

The contributions are grouped in thematic sections, the titles of which are self-explanatory. Some articles probe deeply into very detailed and intricate doctrinal aspects of selected Brahmanical philosophical schools and of Jaina and Buddhist traditions, whereas others attempt synthetic conclusions as well as methodological and theoretical reflection concerning the very nature of Indian philosophy and its religious background. The reader will also find an English translation of 'The chapter on the negative-only inference' (Kevalavyatireki-prakarana) of Gangesa's Tattva-cinta-mani, a ground-breaking work that revolutionized medieval Indian Logic.

Table of Contents:

• Preface
• Myth, belief adn appeal to ratioanlity
• Johannes Bronkhorst: What did Indian Philosophers believe?
• Claus Oetke: Pramāṇa, Logic and Belief
• Raghunath Ghosh: Can there be unbiased epistemology in Indian philosophy?
• Peter Flügel: Power and insight in Jain discourse
• God vis-a-vis proof and belief
• Fernando Tola and Carmen Dragonetti: The distinction in intellectu / in re in the ontological proof and in Bhartṛhari
• John Vattanky: Theism - the culmination of Nyāya logic
• Piotr Balcerowicz: What exists for the Vaiśeṣika?
• Logic and belief in samkhya and yoga
• Shujun Motegi: Early concepts of logic in Sāṃkhya
• Philipp A. Maas: Valid knowledge and belief in classical Sāṃkhya-Yoga
• Language, grammar and belief
• Ashok Aklujkar: Grammarians' leaving logic at the door
• Hideyo Ogawa: Bhartṛhari on unnameable things
• Logic adn belief in interpretation and treanslation
• Diwakar Acharya: Major points of Vācaspati's disagreement with Maṇḍana
• Stephen H. Phillips: From the Tattva-cintā-maṇi by Gaṅgeśa: the kevala-vyatireka-prakaraṇam: negative-only-inference (annotated transl. and commentary)
• Logic, reality and belief in Buddhist tradition
• Horst Lasic: A hot dispute about lukewarm air: Dignāga on Āpta-vāda
• Dan Arnold: On (non-semantically) remembering conventions: Dharmakīrti and Dharmottara on Saṃketa-kāla
• Vincent Eltschinger: Studies on Dharmakīrti's religious philosophy: 4. the Cintā-mayī Prajñā
• Klaus-Dieter Mathes: The "Principle of True Nature" (dharmatā-yukti) as a justification for positive descriptions of reality in Mahāyāna Buddhism
• Hiroshi Nemoto: Tsong kha pa on the three times: new light on the Buddhist theory of time
• Kaoru Onishi: The Bodhi-caryāvatāra and its monastic aspects: on the problem of representation
• Belief, hope and gambling
• Irma Piovano: Sociological and juridical aspects of dice-play in Ancient India
• General Index.

About the Author:

Piotr Balcerowicz of no nationality presently at the Institute of Oriental Studies, Warsaw University, Poland, specializes in Indian Philosophical tradition, with emphasis on Jainism; he teaches Sanskrit and Prakrits, and lectures on Indian Philosophy and religions and contemporary history of Asia. He published extensively on Indian philosophy, Jainism and history of Afghanistan.