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SYADVADA AND STATISTICS
2. Syadvada and Manifold Nature
The Jain Philosophy believes that a real thing has got a manifold nature and all the judgements are relative and are true under certain conditions. The knowledge of reality is possible only when the absolutistic attitude is denied. A thing is existent with respect to some set of "substance" "space" "time" and "attribute". The same thing is non-existent with respect to some other quadruple set. For the complete knowledge of a thing relative to a quadruple set can be discussed with the help of seven division of Syadvada.
The seven divisions are as follows:
(1) Syadasti
The thing exists.
(2) Syadanasti
The thing does not exist.
(3) Syadastinasti
The thing exists and does not exist.
(4) Syadavaktyva
The existence of the thing is in-expressible.
(5) Syadastiavaktvya
The thing exists and is inexpressible.
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(6) Syadnastiavaktvya
The thing does not exist and is inexpressible.
(7) Syadastinastiavaktvya
The thing exists. does not exist and is inexpressible.
Out of these seven divisions Syadasti. Syasanasti and Syadavaktvya are independent divisions while the remaining four divisions are the combinations of the -three independent divisions. The fourth division is quite important for the notion of probability is used in statistics.
3. Syadavaktvya and Probability
When the first and second divisions of Syadvada cannot be stated simulteneously for any object then the nature of that object becomes Avakatvya. Jain Acharyas discussed only the qualitative nature of Avakatvya and did not encourage the quantitative aspect. The quantitative aspect can be termed as probability under certain conditions. In probability theory we study the uncertainty of random experiments. The conditions for a random experiment are as follows:
(i) For each experiment, all the possible outcomes are known in advance.
(ii) In any performance of the experiment uncertainty prevails about the outcome of the performance.
(iii) The experiment can be repeated under identical conditions.
In light of these condtions let us discuss situations where Syadavakatvya can
