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Syadváda : A Solution of World-tension
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Transition to Epistemological Solution
But we must philosophize only in a particular way as there are many methods of philosophy. Much of our philosophy depends upon our way of philosophizing. Empiricism leads to scepticism, whether of Locke or of the Cárvākas. Similarly, dogmatism, rationalism, intuitionism, authoritarianism, mysticism etc. have their own consequences. This branch of philosophy has very lately been accorded an independent place and the term Epistemology has been used firstly by Ferriera, although we can not forget Locke who first reminded us to examine our own abilites, and see what objects our understanding were or were not fitted to deal with.In short, Locke felt that the epistemological problems are former to all others. After all any quest for reality presupposes (path of 5 ) knowledge. In any survey of the history of philosophy we come across with the treatment of knowledge. 6 Cunnigham calls it to be the problem of intellectual enterprise.? But problems of knowledge pre-supposes the methods of acquiring Knowledge. Otherwise one may ask, "If it is the business of Kant in his Critique of Pure Reason to show how mathematics is possible, whose business is to show how the critique of pure reason is possibles ? To maintain that our knowledge is true, we must prove that it is really so. Thus the validity of knowledge is made to rest on the validity of the methods of
1. S. C. Chatterji : Problems of Philosophy, p. 32. 2. Ferrier : Institutes of Metaphysics (1884), Encyclopae
dia Britannicca, Vol. 13/448. 3. Locke : 'Epistime to the Reader', “An Essay Concerning
Human Understanding”. 4. Patrick : Introduction to Philosophy, p. 326. 5. L. T. Hobhouse : Theory of Knowledge. 6. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 13/448. 7. Cunnigham : Problems of Philosophy, Chap. VI-VIII. 8. The New Realism, p. 61 quoted from Nyāya Theory of
Knowledge.
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