What is Multiple Inheritance in Java with Example

Multiple inheritance is a concept where a class inherits behavior from more than one parent class. While some languages support this directly, Java deliberately does not allow a class to extend more than one class at a time.

Why Java Avoids Multiple Class Inheritance

The main reason is the "Diamond Problem" — if two parent classes have a method with the same signature, the compiler wouldn't know which version the child class should inherit, leading to ambiguity.

How Java Achieves Multiple Inheritance Safely

• Interfaces: a class can implement multiple interfaces, inheriting their method contracts without ambiguity
• Default Methods: since Java 8, interfaces can have default method implementations, and conflicts must be explicitly resolved by the implementing class
• Composition: combining behavior from multiple classes by including their objects as fields, instead of inheriting directly