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VAISHALI INSTITUTE RESEARCH BULLETIN NO. I
his thesis). But in an argument destitute of these defects, such a procedure is designated as fallacious confutation.” ... (XXVI)
Elucidation The syllogistic argument seeks to produce the conviction of the existence of the probandum (the predicate) in the subject. It assumes various forms as has been shown before. For instance, in specific situation it may consist in the statement of (1) the probans alone, (2) its subject and probans, (3) subject, probans and example, (4) the three with application (the minor premise), (5) the four with conclusion added, and each again may be supplemented by a corroborative argument (suddhi), if the situation demands it. The purpose of syllogistic argument is to convince the other party of the truth of the thesis and for this recourse may be had to various steps, otherwise the argument will not be regarded as an instrument of proof. Now confutation of a sound syllogism is not possible and so it relates to a false and fallacious argument. This fallacious argument is not entitled to be considered as an argument proper but on account of its assertion as a false claimant, it passes for an apparent argument before the discovery of the fallacy. The exposure of the defects may consist in the demonstration before the judges of the contradiction of the subject of the thesis by perception and other cognitive organs, demonstration of fallacious reasons or of the defects of the illustrations as consisting in the lack of probans, probandum or both; and if successful it culminates in proving the failure of the argument to bring home the probandum. The exposure of the alleged defects found to be nonexistent will be a false, fallacious confutation. The defects alleged or proved must be of a logical nature and such extra-logical drawbacks as grammatical mistakes or rhetorical defects which are worthy of censure in a literary composition should not be trotted out as proof of the incompetency of the arguer, since they have no bearing on the cogency of the argument and so do not detract from its logical efficacy. If such extra-logical defects are allowed to serve as defects of reasoning, the resort to logical defects would be of no purpose.
The author has dealt with the empirical organs of knowledge such as perceptual cognition, extra-perceptual cognition serving the subjective interest of the party or those of the other party, and all their sub-divisions. Now he proposes to establish the ultimate truth of transcendent knowledge which occurs on the elimination of all karmic veils (stemming from nescience) and which is cognizant of all existing facts. This is the true perception par excellence in its own right. The designation and consideration of empirical perception in a locical
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