Gautama's Five-Limbed Argument Scheme

Gautama sets out the ground rules along which debates should proceed. In general, Gautama says, a good argument runs as follows: We know that some object has a first property because it is always found together with another one. He formalizes this with a five-limbed argument scheme in his Niaya Sutra. Tarka means hypothetical or counterfactual reasoning and can be used to eliminate rival theories.