Perseus Academic: Scripture, Logic, Language by Tom J.F. Tillemans

Dharmakirti, an Indian Buddhist philosopher of the 7th century, explored the nature, limits and justifications of rationality within the context of Buddhist religious and metaphysical concerns. While Dharmakirti is widely recognized for his crucial innovations in Indian logic and semantic theory, his notoriously difficult thought nonetheless remains poorly understood.

In this volume, one of the world's leading scholars of Buddhist philosophy sheds light on the interrelated topics of scripture, logic and language in the works of Dharmakirti and his philosophical heirs, both Indian and Tibetan. Professor Tillemans' knowledgeable explanations of such technical subjects as the apoha theory of reference and the problem of entailment (vyàpti) are coupled throughout with insightful reflections on how best to evaluate Dharmakirti's theories in light of contemporary philosophical thought. Scripture, Logic, Language is an informative and thought-provoking study for students of Buddhism as well as for those in the wider field of philosophy.

Tom Tillemans studied analytic philosophy in Canada, and then continued with philosophy, Sanskrit and Chinese in Lausanne and Geneva. During his somewhat younger years, he lived in India, where he worked with Tibetan lamas (and had a Tibetan cook). He held a research scholarship at Hiroshima and has taught as a visiting professor in a number of universities, He is professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Lausanne and currently co-edits (with Cristina Scherre-Schaub) the Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies.