Frits Staal
Encyclopedia
Johan Frederik Staal (born November 3, 1930, Amsterdam
) is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and South & Southeast Asian Studies at the University of California, Berkeley
.
Staal is the son of the architect Jan Frederik Staal and studied mathematics, physics and philosophy at the University of Amsterdam
. He continued with Indian philosophy
and Sanskrit
at Madras and Banaras. Staal was Professor of General and Comparative Philosophy in Amsterdam, 1962–67. He became Professor of Philosophy and South Asian Languages at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1968, and he retired in 1991.
Staal's specialized in the study of Vedic ritual and mantra
s, and the scientific exploration of ritual
and mysticism
. He is also a scholar of Greek and Indian logic and philosophy and Sanskrit grammar. In 1975, a consortium of scholars, led by Staal, documented the twelve-day performance, in Kerala
, of the Vedic Agnicayana
ritual. His recent study has been concerned with Greek and Vedic geometry
. Staal has argued persuasively now for decades that the ancient Indian grammarians, especially Panini, had completely mastered methods of linguistic theory not discovered again until the 1950s and the applications of modern mathematical logic to linguistics by Noam Chomsky. The early methods allowed the construction of discrete, potentially infinite generative systems. Remarkably, these early linguistic systems were codified orally, though probably writing was used to develop them in some way. The formal basis for Panini's methods involve the use of "auxiliary" markers, rediscovered in the 1930s by the logician Emil Post. Post's rewrite systems are now a standard approach for the description of computer languages. As Staal writes, "Panini is the Indian Euclid." Staal's point is that Panini showed how to extend spoken Sanskrit to a formal metalanguage for the language itself. The ancient discoveries were motivated by the need to preserve exact Sanskrit pronunciation and expression given the primacy of language in ancient Indian thought.
Frits Staal retired to Thailand.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
) is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and South & Southeast Asian Studies at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
Staal is the son of the architect Jan Frederik Staal and studied mathematics, physics and philosophy at the University of Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. He continued with Indian philosophy
Indian philosophy
India has a rich and diverse philosophical tradition dating back to ancient times. According to Radhakrishnan, the earlier Upanisads constitute "...the earliest philosophical compositions of the world."...
and Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
at Madras and Banaras. Staal was Professor of General and Comparative Philosophy in Amsterdam, 1962–67. He became Professor of Philosophy and South Asian Languages at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1968, and he retired in 1991.
Staal's specialized in the study of Vedic ritual and mantra
Mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
s, and the scientific exploration of ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
and mysticism
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
. He is also a scholar of Greek and Indian logic and philosophy and Sanskrit grammar. In 1975, a consortium of scholars, led by Staal, documented the twelve-day performance, in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, of the Vedic Agnicayana
Agnicayana
The Atiratra Agnicayana or Athirathram ; the piling of the altar of Agni is a Śrauta ritual of the Vedic religion, the predecessor of modern day Hinduism which is considered to be the greatest ritual as per the Vedic ritual hierarchy. It is also the world's oldest surviving ritual...
ritual. His recent study has been concerned with Greek and Vedic geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
. Staal has argued persuasively now for decades that the ancient Indian grammarians, especially Panini, had completely mastered methods of linguistic theory not discovered again until the 1950s and the applications of modern mathematical logic to linguistics by Noam Chomsky. The early methods allowed the construction of discrete, potentially infinite generative systems. Remarkably, these early linguistic systems were codified orally, though probably writing was used to develop them in some way. The formal basis for Panini's methods involve the use of "auxiliary" markers, rediscovered in the 1930s by the logician Emil Post. Post's rewrite systems are now a standard approach for the description of computer languages. As Staal writes, "Panini is the Indian Euclid." Staal's point is that Panini showed how to extend spoken Sanskrit to a formal metalanguage for the language itself. The ancient discoveries were motivated by the need to preserve exact Sanskrit pronunciation and expression given the primacy of language in ancient Indian thought.
Frits Staal retired to Thailand.
External links
- http://philosophy.berkeley.edu/staal/
- http://www.soas.ac.uk/Religions/comeandmeet/2000/staal.htm
- http://fritsstaal.googlepages.com/