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How did Gautama structure the five-membered Nyaya syllogism?
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History of logic
Zeno's paradox, illustrated by Achilles' racing a tortoise.
Gautama, the author of the Nyaya-sutras, structured the five-membered Nyaya syllogism (avayava) to ensure both formal validity and material truth. By incorporating an example, the structure emphasizes empirical verification alongside logical deduction.1
The five members of the syllogism are structured as follows:
- Pratijna: A statement of that which is to be proved (e.g., "This hill is fiery").
- Hetu: A statement of the reason (e.g., "Because it is smoky").
- Udaharana: A statement of a general rule supported by an example (e.g., "Whatever is smoky is fiery, as is a kitchen and unlike a lake").
- Upanaya: The application of the rule to the current case (e.g., "So is this hill").
- Nigamana: The drawing of the conclusion (e.g., "Therefore, this hill is fiery").1
This system is a foundational element of Indian philosophy regarding the study of inference and logic.12