ABSTRACT
Formal Logic (1956). This will, perhaps, be enough to justify my use of the term "logic" when I am trying to cover similar ground.
Logic as the study of the form of correct arguments and inferencepatterns, developed in India from the methodology of philosophical debate. The art of conducting a philosophical debate was prevalent probably as early as the time of the Buddha and the MahavIra (Jina), but it became more systematic and methodical a few hundred years later. By the second century BC, the intellectual climate in India was bristling with controversy and criticism. At the center of controversy were certain dominant religious and ethical issues. Nothing was too sacred for criticism. Such questions as: "Is there a soul different from body?", "Is the world (taka) eternal?", "What is the meaning, goal, or purpose of life?", and, "Is renunciation preferable to enjoyment?", were of major concern. While teachers and thinkers argued about such matters, there arose a gradual awareness of the characteristics or patterns of correct - that is, acceptable and sound - reasoning, and concern about how it differs from the kind of reasoning that is unacceptable.
