Studies in Indian Philosophy

Author(s): Dalsukh Malvania, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 86

Negation : Some Indian theories
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From the above distinction it follows that all the varieties of negation are ultimately reducible to proposition-negations or propositional function-negations. In the context of Indian theories of negation we shall point out that some negations are not reducible to proposition-negations or propositional function-pegations.
Now let us discuss whether a subject-term can be negated. It is claimed that the negation of a proposition of the form Fx' is equivalent to 'Fx'. Here both 'F' and ' F' are considered as predicate expressions. But the negation of 'x' in 'Fx' does not yield another subject-expression. On the contrary '~x' is considered as an ill-formed expression. Some arguments have been put forward to show the asymmetry betwen a subject and a predicate in a basic proposition in terms of negation of a predicate and a subject.
Anscombe 3 says, “What signally distinguishes names from expressions for predicates is that expressions for predicates can be negated, names not. I mean that negation, attached to a predicate, yields a new predicate, but when attached to a name it does not yield any name."4 Geach also says, "What distinguishes predicates from subjects, I suggest, is... that by negating a predicate we can get the negation of the proposition in which it was originally predicated (plainly there is nothing analogous for subject terms);"? 8
Another argument for the asymmetry between subject and predicate has been stated by Strawson. It could be summariz ed as follows:
Our logic can be enriched with negative and compound predicate-terms, but it cannot be enriched with negative and compound subject-terms. Let us consider the subject-predicate proposition 'Fa’. The negation of this proposion, namely, -(Fa)' is logically equivalent to '-Fa’, but 'Fā' is not equivalent