Universals: Studies In Indian Logic And Linguistics

The book as it now appears does three things. First, it provides a new interpretation of Harvard philosopher Quine's 'Indeterminacy of Translation', which had thrown doubt on the possibility of communication between civilizations. Second, the book demonstrates that Indian 'pandits' discovered the same universals that were discovered in the West. And third, it argues that the Western humanities and the social sciences will have to learn from Asia before they can be of assistance in paving the way to the common future of man.

This collection of articles and review essays, including many hard to find pieces, comprises the most important and fundamental studies of Indian logic and linguistics ever undertaken.
Frits Staal is concerned with four basic questions: Are there universals of logic that transcend culture and time? Are there universals of language and linguistics? What is the nature of Indian logic? And what is the nature of Indian linguistics? By addressing these questions, Staal demonstrates that, contrary to the general assumption among Western philosophers, the classical philosophers of India were rationalists, attentive to arguments. They were in this respect unlike contemporary Western thinkers inspired by existentialism or hermeneutics, and like the ancient Chinese, Greeks, and many medieval European schoolmen, only--as Staal says--more so. "Universals" establishes that Asia's contributions are not only compatible with what has been produced in the West, but a necessary ingredient and an essential component of any future human science.