Which of the following fallacious arguments involves an unproved middle term…
2024
Which of the following fallacious arguments involves an unproved middle term in Nyāya logic?
Answer: C. The sky-lotus is fragrant because it is a lotus, like the lotus of a lake. — ConceptIn Nyāya inference, the reason (hetu), which functions as the middle term, must be established in the subject (pakṣa). If the subject or the reason…
- A.
Sound is eternal because it is produced.
- B.
Fire is cold because it is a substance.
- C.
The sky-lotus is fragrant because it is a lotus, like the lotus of a lake.
- D.
The hill has fire because it is knowable.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept
In Nyāya inference, the reason (hetu), which functions as the middle term, must be established in the subject (pakṣa).
If the subject or the reason cannot be established, the reason is asiddha (unproved). Āśrayāsiddha is the subtype in which the subject itself has no real locus.
Application
A sky-lotus is an imagined, nonexistent subject, so its locus is not established.
Therefore, ‘being a lotus’ cannot be established as a property of that subject.
The offered argument thus exemplifies an unproved reason, specifically āśrayāsiddha.
Cross-check and contrast
‘Sound is eternal because it is produced’ uses production, an established property that supports non-eternality; this is a contrary reason (viruddha).
‘Fire is cold because it is a substance’ uses substancehood, which occurs in things with differing thermal properties; the reason is inconclusive (savyabhicāra).
‘The hill has fire because it is knowable’ uses knowability, which is far more widely distributed than fire; the reason is inconclusive (savyabhicāra).
Result
The fallacious argument involving an unproved middle term is: ‘The sky-lotus is fragrant because it is a lotus, like the lotus of a lake.’