Which of the following thinkers held that light and heat are different forms…
2023
Which of the following thinkers held that light and heat are different forms of the same fundamental substance and described gravity as the cause of falling?
Answer: C. Kanad — CONCEPTIn a conceptual-history question, identify the thinker by matching the stated doctrine with the school and field in which it was developed. The…
- A.
Nagarjuna
- B.
Jivaka
- C.
Kanad
- D.
Ramanuj
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
CONCEPT
In a conceptual-history question, identify the thinker by matching the stated doctrine with the school and field in which it was developed.
The Vaisheshika framework treats physical reality through categories such as substance, quality, and motion, and uses these categories to explain natural phenomena.
APPLICATION
The stem combines two ideas: light and heat as forms of one underlying substance, and heaviness or gravity as the cause of downward falling.
Both ideas belong to the natural philosophy of the Vaisheshika tradition, whose foundational sutras are attributed to Kanad (Kanada).
CONTRAST
Nagarjuna is associated with Madhyamaka Buddhism and its analysis of emptiness and dependent origination.
Jivaka is remembered chiefly as an ancient physician associated with medical practice in the Buddhist tradition.
Kanad is associated with Vaisheshika atomism and the analysis of substance, quality, and motion in the physical world.
Ramanuj is associated with Vishishtadvaita Vedanta and its account of Brahman, souls, and matter.
RESULT
Therefore, the thinker described in the stem is Kanad.