142285 UE The roles of inference in Buddhist epistemology (2022W)

Aim: In this course, students will improve their ability to translate and interpret works composed in scholastic Sanskrit, a form of Sanskrit typically employed in scholarly writings.

Students will become able to identify and deal with common conventions of scholastic Sanskrit, to use traditional commentaries for improving their understanding of a base text, and to judiciously employ auxiliaries such as dictionaries, modern translations, etc.

Content: The course will introduce students to the various roles that inference (anumāna) has in the tradition of Buddhist epistemology and logic in South Asia (from around the 5th to the 12th century CE). By reading and discussing selected passages on how inference was defined, how it relates to other sources of knowledge, what it was supposed to prove, and how it was actually employed in philosophical discussions, students will acquire an overview of a highly influential Buddhist tradition in South Asia and some of its opponents.

Methods: Classes will largely consist of the joint reading of selected source passages for the respective topics. On turning to a new topic (a new role of inference), a student will introduce that new topic in an oral presentation.