Buddhist Philosophy: Logic and Epistemology

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to a Special Issue on Buddhist Philosophy: Logic and Epistemology. Buddhist philosophical traditions have cultivated rich and methodically rigorous systems of reasoning, debate, and epistemology over the course of their development and, beginning with early Abhidharma investigations into the classification and interrelation of dharmas—the foundational elements of experience—these traditions laid the foundations for increasingly sophisticated analytical frameworks. This trajectory culminated in the classical philosophical schools of Mahāyāna, such as Madhyamaka and Yogācāra, which offered distinct approaches to reasoning and cognition. As a consequence, the pioneering works of Dignāga and Dharmakīrti established a formal system of Buddhist logic (pramāṇavāda), focusing on valid cognition, inference, and the nature of conceptual construction, thereby setting the stage for centuries of debate and refinement of logic and epistemology across the Buddhist world. These frameworks played a fundamental role in shaping broader intellectual and spiritual discourses throughout Asia, intersecting with Indian Nyāya, Jain thought, and Chinese hermeneutics. In recent decades, scholars have increasingly recognized the value of Buddhist logic and epistemology not only as historical phenomena but as vibrant systems relevant to contemporary discussions in philosophy of mind, language, cognition, and modal logic.

This Special Issue aims to explore both classical and contemporary dimensions of Buddhist logical and epistemological thought, and seeks to highlight how Buddhist traditions have articulated and refined the principles of valid cognition (pramāṇa), inference (anumāna), and concept formation, as well as how these insights interact with or challenge other philosophical systems—both traditional and modern.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and review papers are welcome, and research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Classical Indian Buddhist epistemology (e.g., Nāgārjuna, Vasubandhu, Dignāga, Dharmakīrti, and Śāntarakṣita);
• Tibetan developments of Buddhist logic and debate traditions;
• Comparisons between Buddhist and Nyāya theories of knowledge;
• Buddhist logic and language philosophy;
• Applications of Buddhist epistemology to contemporary analytic or phenomenological philosophy;
• Cognitive and psychological models in Buddhist pramāṇa theory;
• Buddhist logic in dialogue with Chinese or Japanese philosophical traditions;
• The historical transmission of logical methods between Buddhist and non-Buddhist schools;
• Methodological and hermeneutical issues in studying Buddhist reasoning.

We hope that this Special Issue will stimulate new research in the fields of logic, epistemology, and Buddhist studies. By bringing together contributions from scholars working across different traditions and disciplines, we aim to deepen our understanding of how Buddhist thought engages fundamental questions of knowledge, reasoning, and language, and how it can inform contemporary philosophical discourse. This Special Issue seeks to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and encourage broader recognition of Buddhist contributions to global intellectual history.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send this to the Guest Editor, or to the Assistant Editor of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue, and full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Andrew Schumann
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.