Which of the following steps of inference state(s) the reason for the establishment of the proposition according to the Classical Indian School of Logic?

A. The hill has fire.

B. Because it has smoke.

C. Whatever has smoke has fire e.g. oven.

D. This hill has smoke which is invariably associated with fire.

E. Therefore this hill has fire.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

UGC NET Paper 1: Held on 11 Oct 2022 Shift 2

Answer 1

The correct answer is B only.

Key Points

Anumāna (inference)
- It is one of the most important contributions of the Nyaya
- The methodology of inference (Anumana) involves a combination of induction and deduction by moving from particular to particular via generality.
- It has five steps, as in the question shown:
1. There is fire on the hill (called Pratijñā, required to be proved)
2. Because there is smoke there (called Hetu, reason)
3. Wherever there is smoke, there is fire, e.g. in a kitchen (called Udāhārana, the example of vyāpti)
4. The hill has smoke that is pervaded by fire (called Upanaya, reaffirmation or application)
5. Therefore, there is fire on the hill (called Nigamana, conclusion)

Therefore we can conclude that option B only is correct.