schoolsNyaya

Nyaya is one of the six orthodox (astika) schools of Indian philosophy. Its name, from the Sanskrit nyaya meaning "method" or "logic," reflects its focus on epistemology, reasoning, and the means of obtaining valid knowledge. The school is traditionally attributed to the sage Gautama, who is said to have authored the Nyaya Sutras, and it was later developed through commentaries and debates in classical India.

Nyaya identifies five pramanas (means of knowledge): pratyaksa (perception), anumāna (inference), upamāna (analogy or conceptual similarity), sabda (verbal testimony, including reliable sources), and anupalabdhi (negative or absent perception). A valid pramana must yield non-contradicted information and be appropriate to the object studied.

Central to Nyaya is a five-member syllogism for argument: pratijñā (the proposition to be established), hetu (the reason or cause), drstānta (an example to illustrate the hetu), upanaya (application of the reason to the case), and nigamana (the conclusion). This structure aims to make reasoning explicit and contestable in philosophical debate.

Nyaya scholars typically aligned with Vaisheshika to form Nyaya-Vaisheshika, presenting a realist ontology with categories such as substance, quality, action, universal, particularity, and inherence to analyze experience and its causes.

Over centuries, Nyaya influenced Indian logic, debate, and epistemology, shaping discussions with Buddhist logicians and later Hindu philosophers. Its methodological emphasis on clear argumentation and pramana theory remains a reference point in the study of classical Indian thought.