เมยูติกแบบขยายเชิงพุทธ : รูปแบบการใช้เหตุผลในบทสนทนาต่อปัญหาอภิปรัชญา ในคัมภีร์มิลินทปัญหา

Abstract

The objectives of this research are to (1) investigate the role of maieutics in Douglas N. Walton's theory of persuasive dialogue and (2) analyze the concept of maieutic as it is used in scholastic dialogue in the Milindapañha.

            The results suggest that the functions of maieutics in persuasive dialogue exhibit the following characteristics: (1) the interlocutor offers opportunities for questioning to clarify their own opinions; (2) the underlying ideas behind both parties' positions are revealed; and (3) the maieutic process advances as an increasing number of fundamental beliefs shaping the speaker's opinions are disclosed. These functions are present in both types of conversation and are sufficient for the success of persuasive dialogue, as its outcome does not necessarily involve one party winning or altering its ideological stance,but rather achieving a closer understanding of one's own and the interlocutor's reasoning.

            Nevertheless, these three maieutic functions are insufficient to address the metaphysical questions in the Milindapañha. The scholarly discourse is significantly advanced toward its objective as a result of the additional functions of Buddhist maieutics. These include: (4) the use of analogical questioning, a method that is not present in persuasive dialogues; (5) the direct exposure of inconsistencies (niggaha) in metaphysical reasoning; (6) the facilitation of the recognition of contradictions within one's own position, which ultimately leads to a transformation of belief; and (7) the establishment that the resolution in scholarly dialogue is not merely an agreed-upon opinion between interlocutors but rather an answer grounded in traces of Buddhist teachings as the primary criterion. The defining characteristics of scholastic dialogue are these additional functions of maieutics, which serve as the foundation of reasoning that enables the successful resolution of metaphysical questions in the Milindapañha.