In the philosophy of Mahayana Buddhism, specifically in the Madhyamaka view, Svātantrika is a category of Madhyamaka viewpoints attributed primarily to Indian scholar Bhavaviveka. It is used in contrast with another such subcategory, Prāsangika Madhyamaka. The key distinction between these viewpoints is the degree to which one uses works with assertions about the ultimate nature of reality or if one refrains completely from doing so. If one works with assertions that is a Svātantrika approach and refraining from doing so is a Prāsangika approach.