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Buddhist theories of knowledge
Tradition · 1 reading
Dharmakīrti’s selected argument asks what inferential knowledge requires, and why a dependable connection is difficult to establish.
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Inference under challenge · Lesson 2 of 2
Dharmakīrti: a reason that establishes its conclusion
For Dharmakīrti, a reason must belong to its subject and be inseparable from what it establishes, and the connection must be known. The lesson compares his account with Nyāya’s, keeping apart what follows, what is known and what a countercase defeats.
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Inference under challenge
What makes a sign a reason to believe something we cannot see? Follow selected Nyāya accounts and Dharmakīrti’s argument to examine the connection a sign needs, our grounds for relying on it and what a countercase can show.