Perception (pratyaksha) was acknowledged as a pramana by all
philosophical systems, and most also accepted inference (anu mana) and
authoritative testimony (shabda).
"Presumption" (arthapatti) and "knowledge
from absence" were the two new modes developed by the Mimamsas (abhava).
These additions were justified by the Mimamsas, who claimed
that they accounted for knowledge that could not be assimilated under the
existing pramanas.
Arthapatti is a kind of inference from circumstance in which
a decision is formed regarding one instance only on the basis of comparable
situations.
Consider the assumption that a passenger arrived at his or
her destination after the train's scheduled arrival time had passed.
This is not a genuine inference, according to Indian
philosophy, since the latter must always be verified by direct perception.
Similarly, abhava, or the experience of any absence (for
example, the absence of any thing before one), could not be explained by any of
the existing pramanas, necessitating the creation of this new one.
Aside from Jaimini, the Mimamsas' most notable individuals
are Kumarila and Prabhakara, both of whom lived in the seventh century.
Karl H. Potter's Presuppositions of India's Philosophies was
published in 1972, and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Charles A. Moore (eds.)
published A Sourcebook in Indian Philosophy in 1957.
You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.
Be sure to check out my writings on religion here.
