Examining the Relevance of Indian Logical Traditions and Present-day AI Developments

Authors

Ramesh Subramanian, Quinnipiac UniversityFollow

Abstract

This paper is an essay on the differences between “formal” Western logic and Indian logical traditions and how the latter impacts present-day AI developments. Upon the colonization of India, Western philosophers often dismissed Indian logical constructs as being underdeveloped or clumsy. Others, however, saw such denigration as emanating from Western racial prejudice rather than objectivity. This debate has persisted. I discuss the salient aspects of this debate, and then focus on the inductive aspects of Indian logic. This is especially relevant to the present, when there is an explosion of artificial intelligence based applications. I discuss the salient features of the new developments in Generative AI, and then attempt to show how the models in Generative AI are connected to Indian logic with its focus on inductive reasoning rather then deductive reasoning. It is useful for students and researchers of present-day AI to be aware of alternate systems of logic, which may be useful in developing newer AI models and applications.

Recommended Citation

Subramanian, Ramesh (2023) "Examining the Relevance of Indian Logical Traditions and Present-day AI Developments," Communications of the IIMA: Vol. 21: Iss. 1, Article 2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58729/1941-6687.1441
Available at: https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/ciima/vol21/iss1/2