Erkenntnis 60 (1):75-105 (2004)
Abstract |
It is well known that the process of scientific inquiry, according to Peirce, is drivenby three types of inference, namely abduction, deduction, and induction. What isbehind these labels is, however, not so clear. In particular, the common identificationof abduction with Inference to the Best Explanation (IBE) begs the question,since IBE appears to be covered by Peirce's concept of induction, not that of abduction.Consequently, abduction ought to be distinguished from IBE, at least on Peirce's account. The main aim of the paper, however, is to show that this distinction is most relevant with respect to current problems in philosophy of science and epistemology (like attempts to supply suitable notions of realism and truth as well as related concepts like coherence and unification). In particular, I also try to show that (and in what way) Peirce's inferential triad can function as a method that ensures both coherence and correspondence. It is in this respect that his careful distinction between abduction and induction (or IBE) ought to be heeded.
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Keywords | Philosophy Philosophy Epistemology Ethics Logic Ontology |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
DOI | 10.1023/b:erke.0000005162.52052.7f |
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References found in this work BETA
Inference to the Best Explanation.Peter Lipton - 1991 - London and New York: Routledge/Taylor and Francis Group.
Bayes or Bust?: A Critical Examination of Bayesian Confirmation Theory.John Earman - 1992 - Bradford.
View all 47 references / Add more references
Citations of this work BETA
Can There Be a Bayesian Explanationism? On the Prospects of a Productive Partnership.Frank Cabrera - 2017 - Synthese 194 (4):1245–1272.
On the Distinction Between Peirce’s Abduction and Lipton’s Inference to the Best Explanation.Daniel G. Campos - 2011 - Synthese 180 (3):419-442.
The a Priority of Abduction.Stephen Biggs & Jessica M. Wilson - 2017 - Philosophical Studies 174 (3):735-758.
Abduction − the Context of Discovery + Underdetermination = Inference to the Best Explanation.Mousa Mohammadian - 2021 - Synthese 198 (5):4205-4228.
View all 35 citations / Add more citations
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A Neurocomputational Approach to Abduction.Robert G. Burton - 1999 - Minds and Machines 9 (2):257-265.
Problems with Peirce's Concept of Abduction.Michael Hoffmann - 1999 - Foundations of Science 4 (3):271-305.
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