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The Nyaya Conception of Universals
maintain that this is meant by dual predication. If it is meant that they have a different reference, the objective universal will also not be unamenable to such predication. The predication of non-existence of the cow would only mean that the cowuniversal has lost its substratum owing to the destruction of the individual. The affirmation of existence would mean that the cow-universal has a living substratum.
It has however been contended by the Buddhist that if the universal be a positive entity as the Naiyayika maintains, the affirmation of it would be an unmeaning tautology and the negation of existence of such a positive fact would be a case of selfcontradiction. But the Naiyayika would rejoin that the Buddhist conception of negative universals also involves the same consequences. If the universal be a negative fiction as the Buddhist maintains, affirmation of existence would be a case of contradiction in terms and negation of existence would be a superfluous tautology. The Buddhist may rejoin that his conception of universal is one of a neutral idea, which is susceptible of affirmation and negation both and thus the alleged consequences do not affect his position. But this argument smacks of equivocation and evasion of a real difficulty. Even granting that it is an idea, it cannot be said to be both existent and non-existent, or neither existent nor non-existent, because of the contradiction involved in such suppositions. So the Buddhist does not gain an advantage by denying the objective reality of the universal or affirming its subjective character. We have shown that the universal cannot be conjured away as a fiction. The solution of the problem must be found elsewhere and this will engage our attention in the rest of our enquiry.
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The predication of existence and non-existence should be held to refer to a hitherto unknown determination or the specification of a known determination. The predicate in the proposition "The cow exists" signifies the existence of the cow as an individual in a particular place and time. Likewise, the predication of non-existence would refer to the non-existence of the individual per se or in a particular context. This explanation of the problem has been propounded by the Buddhist, and the Naiyayika, who believes in objective universals, can also accept this solution with equal propriety. The Buddhist, on the contrary, would have no logical justification in
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