Jaina Philosophy of Language

SR No.: 001601
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Sagarmal Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith
Publication Year: 2006
Total Pages: 168
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Philosophy, & Language
File Size: 10 MB

Page 142

(116) Jaina Philosophy of Language expression can be concomitant with the truth. Modern Western philosophy has evolved a complete philosophical school concerning language and truth. Today, we determine the truth or the falsehood of a statement by the principal of verification. The contemporary philosophers believe that only the verifiable statements are liable of being 'true' or 'false'. The rest of the statements (that cannot be verified) have no relation with truth. A. J. Ayer in his treaties, ‘Language, Truth and Logic’has raised this issue. However, first we must consider as to what does the phrase, 'the verification of a statement' mean? According to the contemporary linguistic analysts, when a statement is confirmed by our sense-experience, then only it can be called verifiable. If we were not able to support or to refute the statements on the basis of sense-experience, they would become non-verifiable. But there are certain statements which can neither be called verifiable nor non-verifiable. For example, if we say that there is a possibility of life at Mangala-graha (Mangala planet), the statement is instantly non-verifiable; but it is likely that in future the statement be verified. Thus, the statement for the present is neither verifiable nor nonverifiable. But its verification could of course be expected. In Bhagavatiārādhanā, the sambhāvānā-sat (expectation-truth) is regarded as one of the forms of truth.?
Which of the statements is valid, it depends upon the fact, whether its verification is possible or not. In fact, what we call ‘verification' (of validity or invalidity) is dependent upon the correspondence of the statement with the facts described by it, which is in Jaina tradition called as paratah-prāmānyavāda (extrinsic validity). It is generally believed that the statement corresponding to the fact is valid and not corresponding to the fact, is invalid. It is obvious that there is no statement, which can express the fact in its totality. The Jaina philosophers have clearly maintained that each and every statement gives only a partial knowledge about its object. Thus, any statement made with regard to the object will be the partial truth only. We have to keep in our mind the limitation of the linguistic capability and also that it is not the fact but it denotes the fact. Keeping in view this denotation only, its validity or invalidity can be determined. The more the language will be able to denote the facts clearer, the nearer it will be to 'truth'. The validity and invalidity is