ANUMANA

(Sanskrit: measuring along some other thing, or inference), in Indian philosophy, the second of the five means of knowledge ( pramana) that enable man to have accurate cognitions. Inference occupies a central place in the Hindu school of logic (Nyaya). This school worked out a syllogism that has the form of an argument rather than a formula and that goes through five stages: (1) the proposition (pratija, literally promise), (2) the ground (hetu), (3) the illustration (udaharana), (4) the application (upanaya), and (5) the conclusion (nigamana). A syllogism is vitiated by a fallacious ground; this is called hetvabhasa (the mere appearance of a ground). A number of types of invalid grounds are distinguished: simple error, contradiction, tautology, lack of proof for the ground, and inopportunity. See also pramana.