The Navya-Nyaya Doctrine of Negation

The Navya-nyaya (“New Method”) school of logic has exerted a profound influence on Indian philosophy since the twelfth century. In this system, with its hierarchy of abstractions rather than of classes, the doctrine of negation is crucial. Bimal Krishnal Matilal expounds Navya-nyaya theory by systematically translating its arguments into the language of Western logic. He also provides texts and literal translations of two standard works on negation, one each from the orthodox and the radical wings of the school, and a detailed commentary of his own upon them.