Buddhist syllogistic theory

Abstract

The epitome of Asian philosophy, notably Indian, can be illustrated through Buddhist logic. In his seminal publication, bearing the very title Buddhist Logic, Fyodor Ippolitovich Stcherbatsky addresses such thought in its historical associations. Buddhist thinkers did not achieve a clear separation of logic from ontology and epistemology. Based on this scholar’s work, this paper attempts to trace the notion of inference, inclusive of the nature of judgement, in Buddhist thought. It also addresses a fundamental fraction of Buddhist logic which in the West is referred to as ‘syllogism’ and attempts to demonstrate Aristotelian logical notions through Buddhist thought.