5th WORLD CONGRESS ON LOGIC AND RELIGION

WORKSHOP

Praxis-Based Logic and Virtue: Jainism, Sikhism, and Chinese Traditions

This workshop examines underrepresented traditions of logic and philosophico-religious thought in Asia, with an emphasis on Sikhism, Jainism, and Chinese religious traditions.

It investigates how these traditions apply logic and argumentation within the social sphere.

Jainism is notable for its engagement with sophisticated, non-absolutist, and contextual logic systems that align with modern formal and non-classical logic. This "Engaged Jainism" advocates for "rationality for democracy" and critical thinking by rejecting "one-sided" (ekānta) views, which are seen as the roots of intolerance and social conflict.

Similarly, Sikhism contributes a "logic of life" and a "non-oppositional" or paradoxical logic that bridges contradictions typically kept separate by formal systems. This praxis-based logic asserts that true knowledge is only valid when translated into ethical living and the reform of human action, effectively moving logic from abstract debate into the practical realm of daily ethics.

Finally, the panel incorporates the pragmatic and experiential approaches of Chinese traditions: Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, as well as analytical reconstructions of Mohism. In brief, these traditions focus on the internalization of virtue and the social manifestation of spiritual truths, prioritizing the lived application of philosophy within society. Together, these perspectives challenge the limitations of mere intellectual thinking by emphasizing the practical and ethical dimensions of logic.

The fundamental questions include, but are not limited to:

• How does contextual logic promote a rationality for democracy?

• What are the main characteristics of praxis-based logic?

• In what ways does paradoxical logic promote internalization of virtue?

• What processes allow logic to shift from the abstract domain into practical, ethical, and societal applications?

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