Nyaya : The Logical Approach

When I was in college, oh, it seems like a century ago, we were taught that the ancient Greeks were the first people in world history to think logically. This always seemed suspect to me. The Egyptians built the pyramids without being able to think logically or scientifically? Humans have lived on this planet for hundreds of thousands of years at least, and Thales of Miletus was the first person ever to have a logical thought? Frankly, my professors thought the Greeks were the only ancient culture capable of logic because the Greeks were the only ancient culture they'd ever studied.

Today, more knowledgeable scholars admit that until very recently, the Nyaya philosophers of India were probably the most skilled logicians in history. These guys had nitpicking down to a science.

Nyaya was founded by a sage named Gotama a long, long time ago. He noted that anyone could run around claiming anything, so how do we decide whom to believe? We have to reason clearly and methodically, Gotama said, so we don't inadvertently delude ourselves and everyone else at the same time.

When we analyze nature critically, we're forced to the conclusion that the objective universe is composed of individual atoms and the subjective universe is composed of individual souls. But how can we souls be sure that our ideas about the world outside ourselves are correct? There are four sources of information we can rely on if we're careful:

1. Data we perceive with our senses.

2. Inferences we make based on this data.( " If  there's smoke, there's fire.")

3. Careful comparisons (" A tiger is something like a big lion with stripes")

4. Reliable testimony. ( Like the statements of the enlightened Vedic seers.)

Nyaya theologians determined that God must exist for a number of logical reasons. Here are two:

1. Atoms can't coordinate themselves into an intelligible universe. Everywhere you look, the cosmos shows evidence of intelligent planning and purpose.

2. Karma doesn't run itself. Some higher intelligence apportions to each soul the karma it deserves.

The Nyaya worked out all their arguments with painstaking attention to detail and logical consistency. They set the standard for clear thinking in Hinduism.