________________
Historical Background of the Jaina Dialectic
51
Further, it may be noted that the Indian logicians, whose view I usually try to explain and interpret, did clearly distinguish between the principle of non-contradiction and the principle of excluded middle. Thus Udayana, for example, emphasized in his Nyāyakusumāñjali: chap III, verse 8:
"If the two positions mutually oppose ( contradict ) each other, there cannot be any third alternative. And the two contradictory (opposing) positions cannot be unified or accepted together, for the very state
ment of them together will destroy each other." Here, obviously, the first part is concered with a 'traditional formulation of the principle of excluded middle, and the second part with the principle of non-contradiction.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
