Indian Philosophy

SR No.: 006972
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Nagin J Shah
Publisher: Sanskrit Sanskriti Granthmala
Publication Year: 1998
Total Pages: 162
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 14 MB

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INDIAN PHILOSOPHY
and the major terms were not necessary, how can the conclusion be certain ? That the relation between the two terms is necessary implies that it is universal. Thus vyāpti is a necessary and universal statement of the relation holding between the middle and the major, e.g. 'all men are mortal.' It is not a summary statement of some totality of observed events. ‘All men are mortal' is not the 'short-hand' of 'John is observed to be mortal, Lucy is observed to be mortal, Dick is observed to be mortal, etc.' It does not refer merely to the observed cases but to the unobserved ones as well. Vyāpti contains a leap from the observed to all, observed and unobserved. It contains a prediction of the unknown events on the basis of the known ones. What is the justification for taking such a leap ? Or how do we acquire the knowledge of all events on the basis of the observation of some of them only ? This is the fundamental problem which has proved 'dispair of philosophy.' Before we take up this problem for discussion it would be proper to consider the second question, viz. whether the number of universal-necessary relations is fixed.
Dharmakirti holds that there are only two necessary connections - causality and essential identity. What is the logic behind the acceptance of these two necessary connections only ? This logic is as follows. That one thing is necessarily connected with another means that the existence of the former is necessarily dependent upon the existence of the latter. Now one thing's existence could necessarily depend on the existence of another only under two conditions. One thing's existence necessarily depends on another's if the latter causes the former or if the latter is a part of the essence of the former. There is no other condition that makes the existence of one thing necessarily depend on the existence of another thing. Hence Dharmakīrti asserts that the relation of causality and that of essential identity are the only two necessary relations.?
In the Sūtras of Kanāda we find a tendency to reduce the necessary connections to a fixed number. But it is given up later on. The established tradition of the Nyāya and Vaiseșika schools is to regard the necessary connections as innumerable and inexhaustible. Hence they repudiate the Buddhist view that there are only two necessary connections - that of causality and that of essential identity.
In order to show that there are necessary connections other than those of causality and essential identity they cited many instances of