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one from the other".12 But isn't this precisely the point as represented by the concept of viseşa in Indian philosophy? For visesa is not just what makes two cows different notwithstanding the sameness of their cowness, "It is the differentia of ultimate things which are otherwise alike. Thus two atoms of earth alike in every respect. But if still they This should be two, there must be a distinctive feature in each... differentiating feature is visesa".13 In the case of Jainism this holds not just of earth-atoms but all atoms. This also holds for the Jivas.
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To conclude: Jain pluralism should be considered in the light of the fact that both a pluralistic and an idealistic strand run through Indian thought. It needs to be recognised further that this pluralism has a significant philosophical side to it-namely that similarity does not constitute identity, that even perfect uniformity may not mean unity. Thus viewed the pluralism of Jainism does not seem to represent "immature philosophizing" but rather the mature acceptance of pluralism as distinguished from idealism as a guiding principle.
Jain Education International
12 M. Hiriyanna, op. cit., p. 172. Note that while "the Nyaya-Vaisesika theory holds that there are as many kinds of atoms as there are elements... the Jainas think that the homogeneous atoms produce different elements by varying combinations (S. Radhakrishnan, op. cit., p. 318).
13 T.M.P. Mahadevan, Outlines of Hinduism, Bombay: Chetana Ltd., 1960, pp. 112-113.
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