In the Madhyamaka philosophy of Nagarjuna, logic emerges as a profound instrument for dismantling entrenched conceptual frameworks and illuminating the emptiness (śūnyatā) of all phenomena. Rather than serving as a means to establish ultimate truths, logic is wielded as a dialectical tool to expose the internal contradictions that arise when reality is viewed through the lens of inherent existence (svabhāva). Nagarjuna’s methodical use of logical analysis, particularly through reductio ad absurdum (prasaṅga), reveals how every attempt to assert fixed, independent natures for things collapses under scrutiny, thus demonstrating the limitations of conceptual thinking.

A central feature of Nagarjuna’s approach is the employment of the tetralemma (catuṣkoṭi), which systematically refutes the four possible positions regarding any phenomenon: existence, non-existence, both, and neither. This exhaustive negation serves not to leave one in a state of nihilism, but to dissolve attachment to rigid categories and dualistic thought. By revealing the inadequacy of all conceptual positions, logic in this context guides one toward a more holistic and non-dualistic apprehension of reality, where phenomena are seen as interdependent and lacking intrinsic essence.

Logic, then, functions as a therapeutic tool—a medicine for the mind rather than a doctrine to be clung to. Once logical analysis has revealed the emptiness of all conceptual constructions, even the logical tools themselves are recognized as provisional and empty of ultimate validity. This insight is situated within the two truths framework: logic operates on the level of conventional truth (saṃvṛtisatya), pointing beyond itself toward ultimate truth (paramārthasatya), where all conceptual elaborations are transcended.

Through this rigorous application of logical reasoning, Nagarjuna’s philosophy does not merely challenge fixed beliefs; it offers a path toward liberation from suffering by exposing the interconnected and ever-changing nature of reality. Logic becomes the means by which one is guided beyond the confines of dualistic thinking, ultimately opening the way to a deeper, experiential realization of emptiness.