Circular Reasoning Across Traditions: Reassessing Petitio Principii And Cakra-Doṣa In Legal And Logical Discourse
- IJLLR Journal
- Jun 13
- 1 min read
Dr. Haider Ali, B. Com., LL.B., M.A. Sociology, LL.M., Ph. D. (A.M.U. Aligarh.) is an Associate Professor and Head of the Department, Institute of Legal Studies and Research. Mangalayatan University, Beswan Aligarh
Varalakshmi Tadepalli, MA (Eng Litt), LLM, PG Diploma in Human Rights (HCU), PG Diploma in Media Laws (NALSAR), Advocate, Telangana High Court- India Legal Advocates, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad
ABSTRACT
This paper investigates the logical fallacy of Petitio Principii—commonly known as "begging the question"—and its doctrinal analogue in classical Indian logic: Cakra-doṣa under the Nyāya system. Both fallacies, though rooted in disparate philosophical traditions, expose a shared structural infirmity—namely, the collapse of inferential autonomy where the conclusion is embedded within the premise. This comparative inquiry dissects these circular reasoning patterns not merely as rhetorical missteps but as epistemic violations that undermine the very architecture of valid argumentation. The study critically re-evaluates early comparative interpretations by H.N. Randle and K. Bhattacharya and aligns with Bimal
Krishna Matilal’s more structurally consistent parallel between Cakra-doṣa and Petitio Principii. Further, the paper anchors its analysis in Indian legal jurisprudence, identifying Supreme Court decisions where such fallacies were either judicially repudiated or inadvertently entertained, thereby compromising procedural and evidentiary rigor. Through doctrinal synthesis and case-law scrutiny, the paper argues for the integration of Indian logical taxonomies in contemporary legal pedagogy to reinforce judicial coherence and uphold the sanctity of legal reasoning. Where logic falters, jurisprudence risks collapse; this paper offers a normative and epistemological safeguard against that descent.
Keywords: Nyāya Logic; Cakra-doṣa; Petitio Principii; Indian Jurisprudence; Tautology in Law; Legal Reasoning Fallacies; Sādhya-sama; Prakaraṇa-sama; Circular Reasoning; Anvikṣikī
