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Nature of Unconditionality in Syadvada
107
is conditional'. Now, docs this not mean self-contradiction or complete overthrowing of the absolutistic position ?
Let us analyse, “A categorical judgement asserts an actual fact absolutely”l in which the relation between the subject and the predicate is simple and unconditional one. Now, in the above proposition, every proposition is conditional', the relation between 'every proposition' (i. e. subject ) and "conditional (predicate ) is apparently unconditional, but there is no clash between its unconditionality and conditionality.
For example, when Bhajtas say that consciousness associated with ignorance is the Self, on account of such Śruti passages, “During dreamless sleep the Atman is undifferentiated consciousness,"2 Even in the waking state a man says - 'I do not know myself' though he is aware of his own existence. 'I had no knowledge' means that I have atleast 'the knowledge of having no knowledge'. But here there is no clash between knowledge and ignorance, hence no contradiction.
Similarly when I say 'I am undecided' ( when I am extremely perplexed about everything ), there is indeed one decision that I am undecided. But this decision does not quarrel with my indecision, hence no contradiction.
Similarly in Logic, we have disjunctive judgements - "The sigoal is either red or green"; "A man is either good or bad" etc., we do mean something categorical behind them. But this categoricality is not like the categoricality of a simple unconditional judgement, 'The horse is red'. True, the basis is always caetgorical but this categoricality dues never clash with the proposition being disjunctive.
1. Bosanquet, B. : Logic, Vol. I, IInd edition ( 1911 ), p. 88. 2. Māvdūkya Upanişad, 5. 3. Bradley, F. H. : The Principles of Logic, Vol. 1, lind edi
tion, p. 130.
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