Jaina Philosophy of Non Absolutism

SR No.: 001213
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Satkari Mookerjee, S N Dasgupta
Publisher: Motilal Banarasidas
Publication Year: 1978
Total Pages: 314
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Philosophy, B000, & B025
File Size: 18 MB

Page 25

The Logical Background of Jaina Philosophy
to be denounced as valueless, as particulars, even if perceived, would yield no knowledge, as Kant has proved and the Buddhist has admitted. If experience be not unnecessarily condemned to take stock of particulars only, for which there is no logical necessity, and if again universals be not denied an objective status and basis, for which again there is neither warrant nor justification, and if, in conformity with the plain verdict of experience, the nature of reals is admitted to be made up of both the elements – universal and particular and to be cognised as such by perceptual knowledge, the difficulties of philosophers would be reduced to an appreciable extent. We shall presently show how the Jaina solves the problem of the origin and status of the Laws of Thought in the light of his reflections recorded here.
It will be seen in the course of our speculations that the number of qualities and characteristics of a particular existent is infinite, if original qualities and derivative characteristics induced by relations are taken into consideration. Everything is related with every other thing, and this relation involves the emergence of a relational quality. The qualities cannot be known a priori, though a good number of them can be deduced from certain fundamental characteristics. For instance, we can deduce, from the fact that things are existent and diverse, the fact of the existence of characteristics that impart individuality to each thing. It can be further deduced that things being numerically different are bound by relations of similarity and dissimilarity — by similarity, so far as they are things of the same kind, substance, quality and so on, and by dissimilarity, so far as they are of different kinds. But this a priori deduction of qualities does not argue that the qualities are subjective. The Jaina would rather interpret this deduction as an analysis of the nature of reals quite as objective and realistic as the chemical and phvsical analysis of physical substances. The human faculties are not in antagonism to the objective reality, but are rather the organs of discovery of its nature and behaviour. There have been aberrations and errors in the interpretation of the functions and services of these organs, and the resulting incongruities have been a source of confusion. The subject has to use his faculties to find out the behaviour of objects and the laws of such behaviour