Single Idea 16823

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

Full Idea

One of the problems of the extrapolation and instantial models of confirmation is that they do not cover vertical inferences, where we infer from what we observe to something at a different level that is often unobservable.

Gist of Idea

Standard induction does not allow for vertical inferences, to some unobservable lower level

Source

Peter Lipton (Inference to the Best Explanation (2nd) [2004], 04 'Attractions')

Book Reference

Lipton,Peter: 'Inference to the Best Explanation (2nd ed)' [Routledge 2004], p.66


A Reaction

This is my preferred essentialist view of induction, that we don't just infer that future swans will be white, but also that whiteness is built into the biology of swans. There seems to be predictive induction and explanatory induction.

Related Idea

Idea 16804 Induction is repetition, instances, deduction, probability or causation [Lipton]