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PAPER - I

Logical Reasoning

Statement I: According to Classical Indian Logicians (Naiyayikas) the inference from the effect to the cause is called Purvävät. Statement II: Accordi

Question

Given below are two statements:

Statement I: According to Classical Indian Logicians (Naiyayikas) the inference from the effect to the cause is called Purvävät.
Statement II: According to Naiyāyikas, the inference of cause from the effect is not possible.
In light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Both Statement I and Statement II are true

Both Statement I and Statement II are false

Statement I is true but Statement II is false

Statement I is false but Statement II is true

Solution

Correct option is B

Introduction:

In Nyāya logic, inferences (Anumāna) regarding causation are typically categorized into three types: Pūrvavat, Śeṣavat, and Sāmānyatodṛṣṭa.

Information Booster:

Statement I is Incorrect:
- Pūrvavat inference is when we infer the effect from the cause (e.g., seeing dark clouds and inferring it will rain).
- The inference from the effect to the cause (e.g., seeing a flooded river and inferring it rained upstream) is actually called Śeṣavat.
Statement II is Incorrect:
- The Naiyāyikas explicitly state that inferring a cause from an effect is possible and valid. As mentioned above, this is the definition of Śeṣavat Anumāna.

Additional Information:

The Three Types of Inference (Nyāya)

Type	Direction of Logic	Example
Pūrvavat	Cause $\rightarrow$ Effect	Inferring future rain from thick clouds.
Śeṣavat	Effect $\rightarrow$ Cause	Inferring past rain from a muddy, fast-flowing river.
Sāmānyatodṛṣṭa	Based on uniformity	Inferring the sun moves because it is in different places at different times (not based on direct causation).