This is the oldest school of philosophy and was founded by Kapil Muni who is supposed to have written the Samkhya Sutra. The word ‘Samkhya’ or ‘Sankhya’ literally means ‘count’. These schools argued that salvation could be attained through the acquisition of knowledge. Lack of knowledge is also supposed to be the root cause for the misery of man.
This school believed in dualism or dvaitavada, i.e. the soul and the matter are separate entities. This concept is the basis of all real knowledge. This knowledge can be acquired through three main concepts:
Pratyaksha: Perception
Anumana: Inference
Shabda: Hearing
This school has been famous for its scientific system of inquiry.
The final philosophy argued that Prakriti and Purusha are the basis of reality and they are absolute and independent. As Purusha is closer to the attributes of a male, it is associated with consciousness and cannot be changed or altered. Conversely, the Prakriti consists of three major attributes: thought, movement and transformation. These attributes make it closer to the physiognomy of a woman.