Ancient Chinese Logic, Buddhism Influences with Western Rationalism and Mathematical Reasoning

Abstract

Logic, in the sense that it is understood in contemporary academic discourse, is frequently attributed to the ongoing progression of Western rationalism and mathematical reasoning within the field of idea history. This article compares and contrasts Western logic in the conventional sense of the term with those doctrines and concepts of logic that are equally representative of the development of Eastern intellectual history, as measured through a comparative lens of East and West. Specifically, it focuses on the similarities and differences between Eastern and Western logic. Ancient Chinese logic continued to exist in its own right. It developed byaccording to the traditional Chinese philosophical tradition, even though it diverged from the path formal logic took in the West during its development. The Mohists, the Ming School, and later Buddhist Logic were the primary places where it was first observed making its appearance. To varying degrees, these schools or schools of thought investigated dialectics, linguistic analysis, and logical reasoning; they were instrumental in laying the groundwork for developing ancient Chinese logic. The Named Schools, Mohist, and Buddhist logical systems are all forms of ancient Chinese logic that reflect the development of Chinese logic. These schools’ investigations into argumentation techniques, linguistic analysis, and conceptual definition undeniably influenced subsequent generations of Chinese philosophy in their pursuit of philosophical and logical understanding. This is even thoughthese schools diverging significantly from conventional Western logic regarding methodology and application domains.