Dharmakīrti's apoha theory establishes that absence of unity and absence of plurality are conceptual exclusions, not real properties that can serve as genuine hetu in an inference.

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Apoha theory(as the specific theory being explained): Dharmakirti's idea that words and thoughts work by excluding or ruling out what something is NOT, rather than by directly pointing to shared features of a group.
Conceptual exclusion(as the core mechanism being described): The process where our thoughts and concepts define things by saying what they are NOT rather than what they are.
Dharmakīrti(as the originator of the doctrine being discussed): An influential Indian Buddhist philosopher from the 7th century CE who developed important theories about how we know things and how the mind works.
Genuine: Something is genuine when it is real, authentic, and exactly what it claims to be—not fake, counterfeit, or pretending to be something else. For example, genuine leather is actual leather rather than synthetic material, or a genuine apology comes from sincere feeling rather than obligation. The word describes anything that is honestly and truly itself without deception or imitation.

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