Akhyati

(“nondiscrimination”) Theory of error
propounded by Prabhakara, a member of
the Purva Mimamsa philosophical
school, who lived in the seventh or eighth
century C.E. All the theories of error aim to
explain why people make errors in judgment, such as the stock example of mistaking the silvery flash of a seashell for a
piece of silver. Prabhakara explains this
error as rooted in the inability to make
sharp distinctions. The person uncritically
connects two simple judgments, “that
object is silvery” and “silver is silvery.” By
themselves, both of these statements are
true; what is false is their combination into
the complex judgment, “that object is silver.” According to Prabhakara, the problem lies not with the simple impressions
given by perception (pratyaksha) or
memory—both of which are true—but
with their uncritical connection, in which
the mind fails to recognize that other
judgments are possible. For further information see Bijayananda Kar, The Theories
of Error in Indian Philosophy, 1978; and
Karl H. Potter (ed.), Presuppositions of
India’s Philosophies, 1972.