The Nyaya Theory of Knowledge

The Nyaya theory of knowledge is the most crucial part. In fact, it is the foundation of the Nyaya systems. This book attempts to provide a comprehensive account of Nyaya’s theory of knowledge. This book is an examination of the Nyaya theory and its value in comparison to other theories, Indian and Western. Although theories of Vedanta knowledge and other schools have been studied in part, there has not been a systematic, critical, and comparative treatment for Nyaya epistemology. In this age of Realism, the importance of such a study on Indian realistic theories can’t be understated. The book’s scope is restricted to the history and development of Nyaya philosophy, beginning with the Nyaya Sutra of Gautama and ending in the syncretic works by Annam Bhatta and Visvanatha. However, it does not directly address the history of Nyaya. Nyaya, an Indian art or science of reasoning, existed long before Gautama, who wrote the Nyaya-Sutra. Vatsyayana and Uddyotakara and Jayanta Bhatta have admitted that Gautama wasn’t the creator of Nyaya but the chief exponent of it. He gave an elaborate and systematic account in sutras and aphorisms of an existing branch of knowledge called nyaya. The Nyaya developed from a pragmatic philosophy on a logical foundation in these sutras. The theory of reality was created from what was once a mere logic or art of debate. The Nyaya-Sutra is the basis of the current work.