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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
13
SHRUTSAGAR
January-2016 mental strain, stop at some one thing, element, or principle (physical or metphysical), beyond which they have not mentally the ability to go. The Sankhya Philosophy, for instance, tries to explain evolution and even "cosmic” consciousness, and the growth of organs, etc., as proceeding from a simple substance called prakriti, or primordial matter. Orthodox philosophical systems of India-that is, those based on the Vedas and the Upanishads-adopt either the theory of creation, or of evolution, or of illusion, or of illusion to explain the origin of the world. Whaterver theory they resort to, a simple substance or substances, intelligent, or unintelligent, is or are postulated as the origin or cause of whatever there exists. Of the primal substance or substances there is no cause or origin. Early Greek Philosophers-Thales and others-considered the riddle of existence solved when the original material had been stated, out of the modifications of which all things consist. How the original simple substance converted itself in to complex substances no philosopher explains. The Jain position in this matter being peculiar, it will be necessary to take a more extended survey of philosophy.
One of the functions of philosophy is to advance from the known to the unknown. The procedures adopted are two-induction and deduction. The inductive process is understood as that by which a general law is inferred from particular fact is inferred from a general law which is assumed to be universally true. Smith, Scott, Williams and others died in the past, therefore all men are mortal; this is induction. All men are mortal; Wilson is a man; therefore Wilson will die. This is deduction. Analyzing closely these two processes, we find that in neither is there any addition of knowledge. The results are only inferences, in some cases it is meretautology. We are not under the present development of our nature able to observe all facts; hence the induction is only a working hypothesis at the best. If we happen to meet a single exception, we have to modify the conclusion. In deduction, if the general law is found inapplicable to a particular case, we are obliged to grant that there is an additional factor in that case which does not come under the general law. So that in both processes the results have to be verified by actual experience. By themselves they are
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