[Xmca-l] Re: logic & gender

[Rein Raud]

Just a short remark to those who consider logic to be a Western invention: the Prior Analytics of Aristotle (384-322 BCE) is indeed the first extant systematic exposition of syllogistic reasoning, but this is because the work of the Indian scholar Medhatithi Gautama (6th century BCE) has not survived. The Mahabharata refers to two schools of Indian logic in 5th century BCE. The oldest part of the Nyayasutras, which are extant, also come from 6th century BCE, even though their present form is estimated to date from 2nd century CE. These present a highly developed form of logic that continued to evolve and flourish in India as a separate discipline that crossed worldview-boundaries, thus Buddhist logicians studied Brahmanist works and vice versa. Unfortunately, not much from the School of Names survives from China, which was roughly cotemporaneous with Aristotle. Gongsun Longzi (325-250 BCE) is probably the best-known representative. There are also some later developments, but not so significant as in India or the West, which starts to catch up with India from the times of Frege, but not necessarily earlier.The absence of other civilizations in our syllabi does not mean they did not exist. 

With best wishes,

Rein Raud