Editing Nyaya (section)

====Theory of inference====
The methodology of inference involves a combination of induction and deduction by moving from particular to particular via generality. It has five steps, as in the example shown:<ref>{{Citation |last=Dasti |first=Matthew R. |title=Nyāya |publisher=[[Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy]] |url= https://iep.utm.edu/nyaya/ |access-date=2021-12-07 }}</ref><ref name="TS-AB">{{cite book |last1=Vidyasagara |first1=Pandit Jibananda |title=Tarkasangraha by Annabhatta |date=1872 |publisher=Sarasudhanidhi Press |location=Calcutta |page=24 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9bkIAAAAQAAJ |access-date=31 May 2022}}</ref>
* There is fire on the hill (called ''Pratijñā'', required to be proved)
* Because there is smoke there (called ''Hetu'', reason)
* Wherever there is smoke, there is fire, e.g. in a kitchen (called ''Udāhārana'', example of vyāpti)
* The hill has smoke that is pervaded by fire (called ''Upanaya'', reaffirmation or application)
* Therefore, there is fire on the hill (called ''Nigamana'', conclusion)

In Nyāya terminology for this example, the hill would be the ''paksha'' (minor term),<ref name="TS-AB"/>{{rp|31}} the fire is the ''sādhya'' (major term),<ref name="TS-AB"/>{{rp|21}} the smoke is ''hetu'',<ref name="TS-AB"/>{{rp|31}} and the relationship between the smoke and the fire is ''[[vyapti]]''(middle term).<ref name="TS-AB"/>{{rp|19}}

Hetu further has five characteristics<ref name="Matilal">{{cite book |last1=Matilal |first1=Bimal Krishna |title=Logic, Language and Reality: Indian Philosophies and Contemporary Issues |date=1 January 2008 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |location=Delhi |isbn=978-81-208-0008-3 |page=43 |edition=2nd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UkwvEAAAQBAJ |access-date=31 May 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

* It must be present in the ''Paksha'' (the case under consideration), 
* It must be present in all positive instances (''sapaksha'', or homologues),
* It must be absent in all negative instances
* It must not be incompatible with an established truth, (''abādhitatva'')
* Absence of another evidence for the opposite thesis (''asatpratipakshitva'')