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Step 4 of 7~8 min read~30 min left
Nyāya and Mīmāṃsā on Testimony
Explore the key distinctions between the Nyāya and Mīmāṃsā accounts of valid verbal knowledge.
“According to Nyāya, sabda as a pramāṇa is defined as valid verbal testimony, it consists in the assertion of a trustworthy person. A verbal statement is valid when it comes from a person who knows the truth and speaks the truth about anything for the guidance of other persons. [...] Nyāya recognizes both divine testimony (the Vedas, as testimony of reliable seers) and human testimony (from trustworthy individuals). The Mimāṃsakas and Vedantins go further: the truth of knowledge from testimony is both constituted and known by itself. [...] By testimony they mean a significant combination of ideas expressed by words, according to their expectancy, compatibility, propinquity, and fitness. — WisdomLib, 'The Nyāya Theory of Knowledge'; eGyanKosh 'Unit 4: Testimony (Sabda)'; WisdomLib 'Part 4: Sabda as Independent Source'”