Vaisesika, Samkhyaand Yoga
Vaisesika, created by Kanada, around300 B.C.
Vaisesika as an atomic theory
This is an early attempt at the scientific method.
The word “science” can be traced back to two Latin words,“scire”, meaning “to know” and “scindere”, meaning “tocut, to dissect, to analyze, to take apart.”
By contrast, the word “religion” is derived from “religio”meaning “to bind, to unify, to put together.”
Thus from an etymological perspective, religion andscience seem to be opposites. However, on closer examination, we see that science refers to analysis andreligion refers to synthesis.
Both are needed for an understanding of ourselves andthe world around us. This is the view of Vaisesika. Wemust examine the world by subdivision, refining thecomponent parts but at the same time perceive the wholetogether with the components.
Emil Artin on mathematics
“We all believe mathematics is an art. Theauthor of a book, the lecturer in theclassroom tries to convey the structuralbeauty of mathematics, to his readers, to hislisteners. In this attempt, he must alwaysfail. Mathematics is logical, to be sure, eachconclusion drawn from previously derivedstatements. Yet the whole of it, the realpiece of art, is not linear; worse than that, itsperceptions should be instantaneous. Weall have experienced on some rareoccasions the feeling of elation in realizingthat we have enabled our listeners to see ata moment’s glance the whole architectureand all its ramifications.”
In Vaisesika, the term samavaaya is usedfor coherence, or the instantaneousperceptions of the whole that Artin refers toin the above passage.
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