Nyāya (Sanskrit: न्याय), literally meaning “justice”, “rules”, “method” or “judgment”,
Founder: Aksapada Gautam Muni
Source: Nyāya Sūtra
According to Nyaya Philosophy, nothing is acceptable unless it is in accordance with reason and experience (scientific approach).
Nyaya is regarded as a logical thinking technique.
They believe in the process of logical reasoning to obtain salvation, as the name of the school implies.
They regard life, death, and redemption as enigmas that can be deciphered via rational and analytical reasoning.
Gautama, who is also known as the author of the Nyaya Sutra, is said to have developed this school of thought.
According to the Nyaya Sutras, there are four ways to gain valid knowledge: perception, inference, comparison, and verbal testimony.
The school claims that a human being can check the validity of a proposition or statement using logical techniques such as inference, listening, and analogy.
It holds thatGod not only created but also sustains and destroys the Universe.
The emphasis in this philosophy was always on methodical reasoning and thinking.
Many treatises on epistemology (branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge) were written and polished by the Nyaya school, and they impacted many other schools of philosophy.
It was considered as a theory of knowledge by Nyaya, and it was evolved into Pramana-sastras by its experts.
Pramana is a Sanskrit term that literally means “means of knowledge.” It refers to one or more trustworthy and legitimate methods for humans to get correct, real information.
Ancient Mithila University was famous for Nyaya Shastra teaching.
In its metaphysics, Nyaya school is closer to the Vaisheshika school of Hinduism than others.
It holds that human suffering results from mistakes/defectsproduced by activity under wrong knowledge (notions and ignorance).
Moksha (liberation), it states, is gained through right knowledge.
Naiyyayika scholars approached philosophy as a form of direct realism, stating that anything that really exists is in principle humanly knowable.
To them, correct knowledge and understanding is different from simple, reflexive cognition; it requires Anuvyavasaya (अनुव्यवसाय, cross-examination of cognition, reflective cognition of what one thinks one knows).
The Naiyayikas (the Nyaya scholars) accepted four valid means (pramaṇa) of obtaining valid knowledge (pramana) –
Pratyakṣa – perception
Anumāna – inference
Upamāna – comparison
Sabda – word/testimony of reliable sources.
4 Pramanas
Nyaya school shares some of its methodology and human suffering foundations with Buddhism; however, a key difference between the two is that Buddhism believes that there is neither a soul nor self; Nyaya school like other schools of Hinduism believes that there is a soul and self, with liberation (moksha) as a state of removal of ignorance, wrong knowledge, the gain of correct knowledge and unimpeded continuation of self.
The Nyaya metaphysics recognizes sixteen padarthas or categories and includes all six categories of the Vaisheshika.
