String Theory and Vaisesika Darshan | Exploring Parallels
16Vaisesika Philosophy:
The Categories or Padārtha(substance)
According to the Vaisheshika Philosophy, all things that exist, that can be cognized and named are padārthas (literal meaning: the meaning of a word), the objects of experience. All objects of experience can be classified into six categories, dravya (substance), guṇa (quality), karma (activity), sāmānya (generality), viśeṣa (particularity) and samavāya (inherence). Later Vaiśeṣikas (Śrīdhara and Udayana and Śivāditya) added one more category abhava (non-existence). The first three categories are defined as artha (which can perceived) and they have real objective existence. The last three categories are defined as budhyapekṣam (product of intellectual discrimination) and they are logical categories.
1. Dravya (substance): The substances are conceived as 9 in number. They are, pṛthvī (earth), ap (water), tejas (fire), vāyu (air), ākaśa (ether), kāla (time), dik (space), ātman (self or soul) and manas (mind). The first five are called bhūtas, the substances having some specific qualities so that they could be perceived by one or the other external senses.
2. Guṇa (quality): The Vaiśeṣika Sūtra mentions 17 guṇas (qualities), to which Praśastapāda added another 7. While a substance is capable of existing independently by itself, a guṇa (quality) cannot exist so. The original 17 guṇas (qualities) are, rūpa (colour), rasa (taste), gandha (smell), sparśa (touch), saṁkhyā (number), parimāṇa (size/dimension/quantity), pṛthaktva (individuality), saṁyoga (conjunction/accompaniments), vibhāga (disjunction), paratva (priority), aparatva (posteriority), buddhi (knowledge), sukha (pleasure), duḥkha (pain), icchā (desire), dveṣa (aversion) and prayatna (effort). To these Praśastapāda added gurutva (heaviness), dravatva (fluidity), sneha (viscosity), dharma (merit), adharma (demerit), śabda (sound) and saṁskāra (faculty).
3. Karma (activity): The karmas (activities) like guṇas (qualities) have no separate existence, they belong to the substances. But while a quality is a permanent feature of a substance, an activity is a transient one. Ākāśa (ether), kāla (time), dik (space) and ātman (self), though substances, are devoid of karma (activity).
Sāmānya (generality): Since there are plurality of substances, there will be relations among them. When a property is found common to many substances, it is called sāmānya.
4. Viśeṣa (particularity): By means of viśeṣa, we are able to perceive substances as different from one another. As the ultimate atoms are innumerable so are the viśeṣas.
5. Samavāya (inherence): Kaṇāda defined samavāya as the relation between the cause and the effect. Praśastapāda defined it as the relationship existing between the substances that are inseparable, standing to one another in the relation of the container and the contained. The relation of samavāya is not perceivable but only inferable from the inseparable connection of the substances.
String Theory:
String theory is a theoretical framework in physics that aims to reconcile general relativity, which describes gravity, with quantum mechanics, which deals with the behavior of particles at the subatomic level. At its core, string theory proposes that the fundamental building blocks of the universe are not point-like particles, but tiny, vibrating strings. These strings can vibrate at different frequencies, giving rise to various particles with distinct properties.
One of the key features of string theory is its ability to unify the four fundamental forces of nature: gravity, electromagnetism, the weak nuclear force, and the strong nuclear force. By postulating the existence of these one-dimensional strings, string theory provides a common framework that can potentially explain all physical phenomena.
Moreover, string theory encompasses various versions, such as superstring theory and M-theory, which extend and refine the original concept. While string theory remains a highly speculative and mathematically complex area of research, it has sparked significant interest among physicists and continues to be explored as a potential theory of everything, capable of explaining the fundamental laws governing our universe.
Key statements and principles of string theory include:
1. Vibrating Strings: Tiny vibrating strings describe particles.
2. Unification of forces: Aims to unify all natural forces.
3. Extra dimensions: Hidden, compact extra dimensions.
4. Superstring theory: Adds supersymmetry for consistency.
5. Multiple string theories: Various formulations, representing aspects.
6. M-theory: Unification via higher-dimensional structure.
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