Full Idea
Induction is any form of reasoning that proceeds from claims about observed phenomena to claims about unobserved phenomena.
Gist of Idea
Induction is reasoning from the observed to the unobserved
Source
J Ladyman / D Ross (Every Thing Must Go [2007], 4.5)
Book Reference
Ladyman,J/Ross,D: 'Every Thing Must Go' [OUP 2007], p.255
A Reaction
Most accounts of induction seem to imply that they lead to generalisations, rather than just some single unobserved thing. This definition is in line with David Lewis's.
Related Ideas
Idea 6352 Enumerative induction gives a universal judgement, while statistical induction gives a proportion [Pollock/Cruz]
Idea 9661 Induction is just reasonable methods of inferring the unobserved from the observed [Lewis]