Logic & Philosophy of Science
Formal logic and theory of inference (Nyaya)
c. 2nd c. BCE onwardGautama (Aksapada) and Nyaya schoolNyaya SutrasTamil Nadu
200 BCE
A theory of valid inference (anumana) with a multi-membered argument structure and analysis of fallacies.
- Dated
- 200–101 BCE
- As scholars put it
- c. 2nd c. BCE onward
- Originator
- Gautama (Aksapada) and Nyaya school
- Source text
- Nyaya Sutras
- Region
- Tamil Nadu
- Discipline
- Logic & Philosophy of Science
- Evidence
- Documented
- Confidence
- High
- Verification
- Reference-cited
Meanwhile in the West
Parallels Aristotelian logic developed separately in Greece.
Fair to say
Nyaya inference differs from the Greek syllogism; it is not identical.
Path to modern innovation
Studied in the history and philosophy of logic.
Transmission
Independent tradition; compared by later scholars.
Primary sources
- 4The Nyaya Sutras of GotamaUnreviewed
- 5The Nyaya Sutras Of Gotama 1913Unreviewed
References
- 1Nyaya Sutras
- 2B. K. Matilal, The Character of Logic in India
Further reading
Corrections and additional sources: edit IND-019 on GitHub.