________________
A Critique
Then, there is the weak nuclear force which is recently unified with electromagnetic force.
And finally, there is the strong nuclear force which is many times greater than the electromagnetic force and which acts as the cosmic cement which binds together the subatomic particles of the nucleus of an atom and prevents its breaking up.
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The qualities snigdha and rūkṣa sparśa, according to the Jain view, play the most important role in the synthesis of different paramāņus for the formation of atoms, molecules and small and large objects of matter. The intensity of these two primary qualities varies from a single unit to infinite units in different paramāņus - that is, at a given moment, some paramāņus have a single unit of glueiness, some are with two units, some with three and so on upto infinity. At the same time, there will be some paramāņus with a single unit of dryness, some with two units and so on upto infinity. A summary of the rules in respect of the synthesis of different paramāņus is as under:
1.
2.
Ist
Synthesis of paramāņus having single units of dryness or glueiness is not possible either with one another or with paramānus of higher intensities.
Synthesis of paramāņus having two or more units of dryness is possible with other dry paramāņus provided there is a difference of two or more units between them. Similarly mutual synthesis of gluey paramāņus is possible only if the difference of their intensities is two or more units.
3. Synthesis of paramāņus having two or more units of dryness with all unctuous paramāņus (except those with a single unit) is possible1.
The following points of similarity between the views of Jains and the modern science emerge from the above:
The dryness and glueiness have been equated by us with the-ive and + ive electric charges of the elementary particles respectively2. The interaction of the electronic shells of neigh
1. See pp. 105-107 in chapter II.
2. See p. 191 in this chapter.
