Upamana

(“analogy”) According to some philosophical schools, upamana was one of
the pramanas, or the means by which
human beings can gain true and accurate knowledge. The classic example of
this pramana describes a traveler going
to a certain region who is told that he
will encounter a certain animal that
looks somewhat like a cow; upon going
there this analogy helps him identify the
animal. Some philosophical schools
deny that this is a separate pramana
and classify it as a variety of inference
(anumana). Those who accept it as a
fourth pramana—primarily the NyayaVaisheshika school—stress that according to the rules of inference, a valid
inference must be grounded in previous
perceptions. In the case of the traveler,
his ability to identify is not based on
any differences drawn from previous
perceptions of that type of animal, since
he has never before seen the type of
animal he actually encounters. He
knows what it is because it looks
“somewhat like a cow.” Thus an
additional pramana was needed to
account for this. See also philosophy.