Single Idea 5390

[catalogued under 14. Science / C. Induction / 3. Limits of Induction]

Full Idea

The man who has fed his chicken every day throughout its life at last wrings its neck instead, showing that more refined views as to the uniformity of nature would have been useful to the chicken.

Gist of Idea

Chickens are not very good at induction, and are surprised when their feeder wrings their neck

Source

Bertrand Russell (Problems of Philosophy [1912], Ch. 6)

Book Reference

Russell,Bertrand: 'The Problems of Philosophy' [OUP 1995], p.35


A Reaction

A justly famous illustration of Hume's problem of induction, that a vast amount of evidence could still support a false conclusion. If we say 'the future will be like the past', this depends on understanding what was happening in the past.