AIF Insights No. 9 (2025) | Tetralemma vs Dilemma: Integrating Eastern Logic into AI Reasoning

This essay explores the contrast between Western binary logic and the Buddhist tetralemma (catuskoti), advocating for the integration of Eastern logical structures into artificial intelligence (AI) systems. It argues that while Western dilemma-based reasoning emphasizes clarity and decisiveness, it often oversimplifies complex realities. The tetralemma, by offering four response possibilities—true, false, both, or neither—embraces contradiction and ambiguity, aligning with Buddhist principles of emptiness and interdependence. The author suggests that embedding tetralemma logic in AI could enhance ethical decision-making, improve natural language processing, and foster cognitive flexibility. The article also calls for decolonizing epistemology by recognizing non-Western philosophies as valuable foundations for technological innovation.