Talk:William Jones (philologist)

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• Jones was just as concerned about the fact that "some intelligent and virtuous persons are inclined to doubt the authenticity of the accounts delivered by Moses." In his estimation, too, "either the first eleven chapters of Genesis . . . are true, or the whole fabrick of our national religion is false, a conclusion which none of us, I trust, would wish to be drawn" (Jones 1788, 225). Eager to settle the matter, Jones undertook the responsibility of unraveling Indian chronology for the benefit and appeasement of his disconcerted colleagues: "I propose to lay before you a concise history of Indian chronology extracted from Sanskrit books, attached to no system, and as much disposed to reject Mosaick history, if it be proved erroneous, as to believe it, if it be confirmed by sound reason from indubitable evidence" (Jones 1790a, 111). Despite such assurances, Jones's own predispositions on this matter were revealed in several earlier written statements: " I . . . am obliged of course to believe the sanctity of the venerable books [of Genesis]" (1788, 225); Jones (1790) concluded his researches by claiming to have "traced the foundation of the Indian empire above three thousand eight hundred years from now" (145), that is to say, safely within the confines of Bishop Usher's creation date of 4004 B.C.E. and, more important, within the parameters of the Great Flood, which Jones considered to have occurred in 2350 B.C.E.
  • quoted from Bryant, E. F. (2001). The Quest for the Origins of Vedic Culture : the Indo-Aryan migration debate. Oxford University Press. chapter 1.

Quote

• Here I cannot refrain from introducing a singular tradition... that, “among other Indian curiosities,“ which Callis'thenes transmitted to his uncle, was “a technical system of logic, which the Brahmins “had communicated to the inquisitive Greek” and which the Mohammedan writer supposes to have been the ground-work of the famous Aristotelian method. If this be true, it is one of the most interesting facts that I have met with in Asia: and if it be false, it is very extraordinary that such a story should have been fabricated...; but, not having had leisure to study the Nyaya Sastra, I can only assure you, that I have frequently seen perfect syllogisms in the philosophical writings of the Brahmins, and have often heard them used in their verbal controversies.
  • V. pp. 237-238

What is the reason for this removal of the quote? Jones description that it is "one of the most interesting facts that I have met with in Asia" makes it notable. --ᘙ (talk) 18:34, 16 February 2026 (UTC)

Please stop copy-pasting without doing any copy-editing. See Dabestan-e Mazaheb Ficaia (talk) 18:39, 16 February 2026 (UTC)