The Scientific Foundations of Jainism

by K.V. Mardia

In "The Scientific Foundations of Jainism" Prof. Mardia attempts to elucidate the point that Jainism is a science with religion. It brings together his attempts in a unified way. Four axioms are constructed which highlight the foundations of Jainism. For example, axiom 1 states that "The soul exists with karmic matter and it longs to be purified". These four axioms focus on the essence rather than on detail . After a very brief introduction to Jainism, the author introduces he axioms and discusses their theoretical and applied aspects and their plausibility in the modern context. The book presents Jaina logic together with present trends in scientific thinking and indicates how Jainism and modern science are related.

"Written by a modern thinker and a scientist with an international reputation in research and the dissemination of scientific knowledge, the Scientific Foundations of Jainism is valuable guide in understanding Jainism. Mardia refers to the Jain claim that one can see the whole truth of Jain science when one attains kevaljnana or infinite knowledge! His efforts to reveal to us the truth of Jain science in an understandable way provides a testimony to the vast amount of knowledge he must acquired through the diligent study of the literature on Jainism. The book will be of great value to Jains as well as non - Jains in understanding the emergence of a great religion to help us in seeking truth and understanding our existence and the purpose of life."

This book gives Jaina logic together with present trends in scientific thinking and indicates how Jainism and modern science are related. At many places a sharper scientific pictorial representation has been given. The study constructs four axioms which highlight the foundation of Jainism. It discusses the theoretical and applied aspects of these axioms and examines their plausibility in modern context.

The book includes a bibliography, glossary and an index. Wherever possible, a sharper scientific pictorial representation has been given, and very few original terms are used in the text so that the flow of the arguments is not hampered.

About the Author:

Professor Mardia has been the holder of the Chair of Applied Statistics at the University of Leeds since 1973. He is also Director of the Centre of Medical Imaging Research. Prof. Mardia is currently President of the Yorkshire Jain Foundation and Vice Chairman of the jain Academy. He has written several articles on Jainism in reputed ournals and was a founding editor of The Jain.