Raj,
Your question, "where do ideas come from ", leads us to a very vast territory of philosophy, both Indian and western. Philosophers belonging to various schools and camps of philosophy have dwelt upon this problem in depth and the debate is still going on, but they have failed to reach a unanimous conclusion. However, I attempt to summarize them very briefly here:
A. Hindu Philosophy: According to the Hindu philosophy, the human body is the rarest in the organic world called sattvika (as also in other religions and philosophies) and made up of 25 basic elements - 5 gross primordial elements (Panch Tatva), 5 subtle primordial elements (Tanmatras) 5 organs of perception (Gyanendriya), 5 organs of action (Karmendriya), mind (manas), reason (Buddhi), individuation (Ahankara), life force or vitality (chetan or pran) and Atma
There are several differences in the aforesaid categorisation among the 6 different schools of Hindu philosophy, especially the Kapil Sankhya philosophy and Vedantic philosophy as mentioned differently at different places in the Vedas, the Upnishadas, the Gita and the Mahabharata. The Gita generally quoted Sankhya.
Out of these constituents mind, reason and individuation are responsible for giving birth to ideas. However, some Rishis categorize mind and reason as different with reason being superior and beyond mind, whereas some other Rishis stress that they are the same and mind performs the dual function of mind and reason both.
When something is perceived by organ of perception, mind receives it, and after classifying, it sends to reason , which processes it to decide what is good and what is bad. In developing (making vyakaranam) anything the reason has often to conceive ideas (make sankalpam and vikalpam). The Gita also differentiate between two kinds of reason - pure reason and practical reason. ( German philosopher Immanuel Kant also says so and has devoted two books on it). The origin of ideas is pure reason. Hindu philosophy adds one more thing. It says that reason is a bodily faculty just like mind and so it can be sattviki , rajasi and tamasi according to previous actions, hereditary impressions, education, etc.
B. Western Philosophy :
It has four schools on this subject:
Rationalism -
1- philosophers like Plato explained that perception may be deceptive and hence is unreliable. Immutable and unchanging knowledge can be obtained only from pure reason, and not from perception. Thus ideas originate from pure reason. He talked about the world of ideas.
Cartesian (propounded by Descartes, a French philosopher) modified Plato's explanation by saying that a clear and distinct idea comes from pure reason accessible by pure reason. Human reason itself has capacity to generate a clear and distinct idea. The concept of the world of ideas is nonexistent.
2- Empiricism- the protagonists of this school explained that the source of true knowledge is not reason but experience. Newton's idea of gravitational force originated from his experience when an apple fell on him.
3- Kant theory - Immanuel Kant , German philosopher combined both the above theories of rationalism and empericism by claiming that a true idea comes from reason and arises only with experience
4- Pragmatism - By giving various examples they stressed that an idea is true till it is effective in producing benefits.
Your question, "where do ideas come from ", leads us to a very vast territory of philosophy, both Indian and western. Philosophers belonging to various schools and camps of philosophy have dwelt upon this problem in depth and the debate is still going on, but they have failed to reach a unanimous conclusion. However, I attempt to summarize them very briefly here:
A. Hindu Philosophy: According to the Hindu philosophy, the human body is the rarest in the organic world called sattvika (as also in other religions and philosophies) and made up of 25 basic elements - 5 gross primordial elements (Panch Tatva), 5 subtle primordial elements (Tanmatras) 5 organs of perception (Gyanendriya), 5 organs of action (Karmendriya), mind (manas), reason (Buddhi), individuation (Ahankara), life force or vitality (chetan or pran) and Atma
There are several differences in the aforesaid categorisation among the 6 different schools of Hindu philosophy, especially the Kapil Sankhya philosophy and Vedantic philosophy as mentioned differently at different places in the Vedas, the Upnishadas, the Gita and the Mahabharata. The Gita generally quoted Sankhya.
Out of these constituents mind, reason and individuation are responsible for giving birth to ideas. However, some Rishis categorize mind and reason as different with reason being superior and beyond mind, whereas some other Rishis stress that they are the same and mind performs the dual function of mind and reason both.
When something is perceived by organ of perception, mind receives it, and after classifying, it sends to reason , which processes it to decide what is good and what is bad. In developing (making vyakaranam) anything the reason has often to conceive ideas (make sankalpam and vikalpam). The Gita also differentiate between two kinds of reason - pure reason and practical reason. ( German philosopher Immanuel Kant also says so and has devoted two books on it). The origin of ideas is pure reason. Hindu philosophy adds one more thing. It says that reason is a bodily faculty just like mind and so it can be sattviki , rajasi and tamasi according to previous actions, hereditary impressions, education, etc.
B. Western Philosophy :
It has four schools on this subject:
Rationalism -
1- philosophers like Plato explained that perception may be deceptive and hence is unreliable. Immutable and unchanging knowledge can be obtained only from pure reason, and not from perception. Thus ideas originate from pure reason. He talked about the world of ideas.
Cartesian (propounded by Descartes, a French philosopher) modified Plato's explanation by saying that a clear and distinct idea comes from pure reason accessible by pure reason. Human reason itself has capacity to generate a clear and distinct idea. The concept of the world of ideas is nonexistent.
2- Empiricism- the protagonists of this school explained that the source of true knowledge is not reason but experience. Newton's idea of gravitational force originated from his experience when an apple fell on him.
3- Kant theory - Immanuel Kant , German philosopher combined both the above theories of rationalism and empericism by claiming that a true idea comes from reason and arises only with experience
4- Pragmatism - By giving various examples they stressed that an idea is true till it is effective in producing benefits.
C.Scientific Explanation : The scientists and biologists do not agree that mind and reason (feeling of heart) have any independent or separate existence. So an idea also originates in mind. When a man experiences something through an organ of perception, mind recieves it, compare it with the large data already stored in mind through past experiences and comes to generate an idea. When an apple fell on Newton, mind received an experience. His mind tallied it with his past experiences and knowledge and thought that nothing goes to something else unless it is pushed or pulled. So the idea of gravitational pull came to his mind.
Conclusion: Being a student of science, I am more inclined to accept the scientific theory.
