Making a habit of inference: Prajñākaragupta on everyday truth
At some time between 750 and 900 CE, the Indian Buddhist philosopher Prajñākaragupta composed an extensive Sanskrit commentary on the Pramāṇavārttika, a seminal text of Buddhist philosophy from the 6ᵗʰ- to 7ᵗʰ-century. Prajñākaragupta’s detailed and original commentary aims at a strongly idealistic interpretation of the base text. Yet it also provides a remarkable analysis of everyday activities that relies on the interdependence of inference and perception—the sole sources of knowledge accepted by Buddhist logicians since Dignāga established this view in the fifth century CE.
This talk will examine Prajñākaragupta’s view on the relationship between inference and perception that enables unenlightened creatures to engage in daily activities (including first steps towards liberation). We will see that Prajñākaragupta’s defence of inference and perception relies on ideas that predate Dignāga and are not limited to Buddhist scholars.
- Organisateurs : Émilie Aussant (USN) et Vincent Eltschinger (EPHE-PSL)
- Invité : Patrick McAllister, Austrian Academy of Sciences of Vienna.
- Date et horaire : Mercredi 26 mars 2025 de 11h à 13h
- Lieu et salle : Campus Nation, 8 av. de Saint-Mandé (Paris 12ᵉ); salle BRO1