Version 1
: Received: 5 April 2023 / Approved: 10 April 2023 / Online: 10 April 2023 (10:22:06 CEST)
How to cite:
Anikeeva, E.N. Contemporary Views on Arguments for God’s Existence in Udayana`s Works. Preprints2023, 2023040167. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.0167.v1
Anikeeva, E.N. Contemporary Views on Arguments for God’s Existence in Udayana`s Works. Preprints 2023, 2023040167. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.0167.v1
Anikeeva, E.N. Contemporary Views on Arguments for God’s Existence in Udayana`s Works. Preprints2023, 2023040167. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.0167.v1
APA Style
Anikeeva, E.N. (2023). Contemporary Views on Arguments for God’s Existence in Udayana`s Works. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.0167.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Anikeeva, E.N. 2023 "Contemporary Views on Arguments for God’s Existence in Udayana`s Works" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.0167.v1
Abstract
Rational demonstration in favor of God`s existence was a fundamental theme in Indian theism — īçvara-vāda (teaching about Īçvara), original theistic metaphysics in classical Indian Philosophy. Traditionally, Nyāya together with Vaiċeşika and Yoga are regarded as the most theistic Indian systems that assert Īçvara — personal Divine Absolute with such attributes as perfect and supreme consciousness, compassion, etc. Udayana (X-XI cc.), an eminent Indian philosopher of the Nyāya school, performed a highly-sophisticated and elaborated defense of God`s existence, especially in his brilliant opus called “Nyāya-kusumāņjali” (NK), where he presented his famous eight proofs in the severe polemics with opponents (nirīçvara-vādins). By the end of XX century, translators and interpreters of NK started the process of actualization of Udayana`s argumentation in detail. Cosmological proofs in NK present Īçvara as Supreme Cause of the universe, its numerical structure and initial impulse. Udayana`s theism resembles metaphysical principles of ancient, medieval philosophy and contemporary Thomism. Besides comparative analysis, this article undertakes the questions of God`s transcendence and immanence, co-relation between reason and belief in Udayana`s works. Lately, scholars have stressed that Udayana has been deprived of sufficient attention though his heritage and original rational arguments for God`s existence can enrich world theism and theology.
Keywords
theism; Indian theism; Udayana; Nyāya; Īçvara; ǐçvara-vāda; nirīçvara-vāda; proofs of God`s existence
Subject
Arts and Humanities, Philosophy
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
