Abduction of Generalizations

<em>Abduction of generalizations</em> is the process in which explanatory hypotheses are formed for an observed, yet puzzling generalization such as ``pineapples taste sweet" or ``rainbows appear when the sun breaks through the rain". This phenomenon has received little attenti...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tjerk Gauderis, Frederik Van De Putte
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of the Basque Country 2012-10-01
Series:Theoria
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.ehu.es/ojs/index.php/THEORIA/article/view/4059
Description
Summary:<em>Abduction of generalizations</em> is the process in which explanatory hypotheses are formed for an observed, yet puzzling generalization such as ``pineapples taste sweet" or ``rainbows appear when the sun breaks through the rain". This phenomenon has received little attention in formal logic and philosophy of science. The current paper remedies this lacuna by first giving an overview of some general characteristics of this process, elaborating on its ubiquity in scientific and daily life reasoning. Second, the adaptive logic $\LAG$ is presented to explicate this process formally.
ISSN:0495-4548
2171-679X