Reasoning from inconclusive evidence, or 'induction', is central to science and any applications we make of it. For that reason alone it demands the attention of philosophers of science. This element explores the prospects of using probability theory to provide an inductive logic: a framework for representing evidential support. Constraints on the ideal evaluation of hypotheses suggest that the overall standing of a hypothesis is represented by its probability in light of the total evidence, and incremental support, or confirmation, indicated by the hypothesis having a higher probability conditional on some evidence than it does unconditionally. This proposal is shown to have the capacity to reconstruct many canons of the scientific method and inductive inference. Along the way, significant objections are discussed, such as the challenge of inductive scepticism, and the objection that the probabilistic approach makes evidential support arbitrary.
By:
Antony Eagle (University of Adelaide) Imprint: Cambridge University Press Country of Publication: United Kingdom Weight: 161g ISBN:9781009210195 ISBN 10: 100921019X Series:Elements in Philosophy and Logic Pages: 102 Publication Date:30 January 2025 Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format:Paperback Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction and overview; 1. Induction and inductive logic; 2. Probability and evidential support; 3. Bayesian confirmation theory; 4. Uniqueness and the problem of the priors; References.
