Questions tagged [induction]
For posts concerning Induction, an analytical method that makes predictions of future results based on observations of past behavior.
163 questions
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What are the philosophical arguments for and against modeling hypotheses as Turing machines?
In this answer here,
Now we could start with a model of reality, which says that nature randomly picks a process for generating data; the process is obtained by picking a Turing machine at random, ...
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Is Mathematical Induction an Extesion of Logical Implication?
Material Implication implication applies to two independent variables p and q, whereas Induction applies to Set of Related Elements.
See Truth Table of Implication(p->q) says that if, q is True, ...
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Does Solomonoff Induction solve the Problem of Induction?
I've been reading up on Solomonoff Induction, and most of the researchers in the field seem convinced that the technique represents a solution, or at least a useful ideal, to the traditional problem ...
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Is Occam’s razor the basis of induction? Can it “solve” the problem of induction?
I asked a similar question in regards to theory choice but I feel as if this one may be more pertinent.
If one notices a certain pattern in data, is it not simpler to posit that the pattern will ...
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An intensional system of meaning for predicates? (And related thoughts)
In general, I am interested in a paradigm something like this:
When we have premises, there are rules that can allow us to derive consequences of those premises.
Sometimes, going in the reverse ...
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Tim the Anthropomorphic Bull Thought experiment [closed]
Let's consider Tim.
Tim is born on 1st September 1990. Tim goes to elementary school at six. Tim reads Harry Pottter at 12. Tim goes to his prom at 16.
Based on these sampling of events... how do we ...
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Is there a formal term for beliefs that are the basis for doing something on ‘autopilot’
By such beliefs I mean for example:
Every morning, when I wake up, I find myself in a supine position, lying on my back, staring at the ceiling, as I am a back sleeper. In those two or three seconds ...
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Is deduction an integral part of induction (logic)?
Definitions:
Deduction: The conclusion necessarily follows with 100% certainty from the premises. Impossible for the conclusion to be false and the premises true (valid)
Induction: The conclusion ...
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Can informal fallacies be considered weak inductive arguments?
Can informal fallacies be considered (weak) inductive arguments?
If they can, then does not that mean they are actually not fallacies (because an inductive argument is a reliable form of reasoning)?
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What is more important: simplicity or induction?
An argument by analogy is an inductive argument for the existence of other minds. An argument by analogy is enough to justify the belief in the existence of other minds.
But Occam's Razor offers a ...
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Abduction, deduction and induction in medical diagnosis and intervention
(Apologies if my views on logical inference are overly simplistic -- I'm a radiologist by profession, very far from a philosophy major. My goal is to understand what medical decisions are and where ...
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How do you prove mathematical induction without the notion of a set?
EDIT - Peano's axioms for N can't be used to answer this question, because they assume induction. So what axioms can be used? I am thinking the following:
P1. x ∈ N iff x=1 ∨ ∃y (x=y' ∧ y ∈ N)
P2. 0'...
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What is the relation between the uniformity of nature and determinism?
I read about Hume's argument that the uniformity of nature is a necessary condition for inductive reasoning to be valid, but we only have inductive reasons for believing in the uniformity in the first ...
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If induction is irrational, then should we blame someone who keeps making the same mistakes?
Suppose someone genuinely believes that they do not use induction, and for that reason press the big red button on the nuclear football, out of fun. One needs induction to know that it will blow ...
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Can meaning is use be the conclusion of an inductive argument?
I think anyone can deduce many things from and about how we use language (if I know you are a bachelor and the meaning of the word, then I know that you are not married), but can we (get outside our ...
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Is there any difference between abduction and induction in Bayesian terms?
In abduction we take some observations and try to find the hypothesis that best explains them.
In Bayesian terms this sounds like finding the Maximum A Posteriori (MAP) estimate. To a Bayesian, "...
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Explain what the simplicity in this argument is based on
Other people have minds because it is the best explanation for other people's behavior because the existence of other minds is a simpler and more understandable explanation:
It does not make me ...
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Does this argument support the simulation hypothesis?
https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmaker_analogy
Does this argument support the simulation hypothesis?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulation_hypothesis
Induction and argument by analogy is ...
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Is it reasonable to use induction to justify belief in the existence of other minds? [duplicate]
Is it reasonable to use an argument by analogy (induction) to justify belief in the existence of other minds?
The principle of the uniformity of nature is used in the argument by analogy.
https://...
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What is the best reference for understanding inductive theories of knowledge?
I am looking for a pedagogical outline of the inductive theory of knowledge. Something along the lines of a level textbook (graduate or undergraduate) reference rather than references to classic texts....
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Is scientific method entirely based on statistics (statistical inference)?
If I am correct the scientific method is an application of induction to science.
Is the scientific method entirely based on statistics (statistical inference)? (I guess so, because it makes use of ...
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Is the argument by analogy logically consistent?
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/other-minds/#ArguAnal
I'm a bit confused by the criticism here.
That is, this argument has no problems with logical sequence and if the premises are correct, then ...
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Is the problem of induction ultimately just a problem of justification?
Unless a statement is logically necessarily true or false, are we ever justified to make an inference on anything?
No matter what one uses or what reasons one comes up with to justify X, one can ...
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Is backtesting inductive reasoning?
We do backtesting in finance; that is, we guess hypotheses/premises, and then use previous data to verify it.
Wikipedia
Investopedia
Is backtesting inductive or deductive reasoning? (Here we have ...
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Are there any examples of two theories that accurately describe a phenomenon where the more complex one was found to be correct?
I was reading this answer on how Solomonoff's theory of inductive inference can be used to posit the more correct theory amongst a set that provide the expected "answer", where the shorter, ...
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Mill's methods - logic
Which Mill's method (not considering their limitations) would you use if you need to rule out the identity of a murderer based on the murders he already committed?
The only possible answers are method ...
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Do we ever actually reason from induction?
The sun has risen every day for many years. It would be unwise to bet on it not rising tomorrow. But is this because it has risen every day, or because there is nothing to suggest anything would be ...
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Is Rule-Based Machine Learning an Example of Inductive Logic in the Philosophical Sense?
Human beings are capable of deciding upon rules based on intuitions and observations their neurons presumably provide (certainly metaphysical presumptuous). According to WP, this is inductive ...
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How does Hume get rid of the problem of induction “probabilistically”?
Just because the sun rises every day, doesn’t mean it will rise tomorrow. Hume points out that the former doesn’t imply the latter.
But he also argues that it doesn’t even imply that it is probable ...
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What is a rule of inductive inference?
What is a rule of inductive inference? I'm not looking for any examples, but for definitions - what makes the logical form of an inductive argument a rule of inductive inference?
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Does the problem of induction justify insanity?
Insanity or delusions are defined as having beliefs that aren’t true. But how we come to true beliefs about the world often if not always relies on induction.
Suppose you are a person on a really tall ...
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In which work does Wolfgang Stegmuller criticize anti-inductivism and Karl Popper?
In the introductory note to the third edition of Fact Fiction and Forecast, Nelson Goodman writes that "Wolfgang Stegmuller has corrected the notion thnat 'anti-inductivists' of the school of ...
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Is it a fallacy to argue "Once a thief, always a thief"?
I was looking online to see if this argument was a fallacy, but I couldn't find anything. It reminds me of the problem of induction, whereby one cannot predict what the future holds based on past ...
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Why is the notion of similarity rarely discussed in philosophy when it underpins almost all forms of argument? [closed]
You cannot have any sort of inductive argument without having some sort of base set to make an inductive reference from. But choosing elements in that set requires some notion of them being similar to ...
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Are there concepts of laws-of-physics where the laws have a "fail rate"?
The closest to this idea I could find was talk of ceteris paribus laws, but it was hard to tell how much this concerned physics, even just potentially/speculatively. But having decided to believe that ...
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Does Newton’s First Law of Motion assist in validating the Uniformity Principle?
Does Newton’s First Law of Motion assist in validating induction?
The Principle of Uniformity holds that the events of the future will resemble those of the past. That principle underpins the ...
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Is the subjective nature of similarity a weak point of analogical/inductive reasoning?
Although inductive and analogical reasoning work, they work depending on some notion of similarity.
For example, the argument that "All swans observed have been black. The next swan we observe ...
user62907
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How to formalise inductive reasoning? [closed]
How can I formalise inductive reasoning or findings, for example, from grounded theory studies?
I understand deductive reasoning could use first-order logic to demonstrate the validity of an argument (...
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Confused about inductive arguments
I am having trouble understanding inductive arguments, i'm just not sure about how particular observed occurances are supposed to combine into a single definition.
Example 1:
(1) My friend is a ...
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Types of reasoning in mathematics
Can we say that analytical approaches is deductive reasoning and numerical approaches(numerical analysis) is inductive reasoning ?
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How many "degrees" of knowledge is conceivable?
Not sure if this is the right place for this, but there's something I've been pondering about and can't wrap my head around.
Say person A knows something, that person B does not. Let's call that the ...
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Falsification of a statement
Is falsification only applicable to deductive reasoning (as opposed to inductive, abductive and speculative deductive reasoning)?
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Is there a term that means "soft validity?"
By "soft validity" I mean this: The formal definition of validity is that if the premises are true, the conclusion must be true. I will call this "hard validity." "Soft ...
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Are mathematical proofs subject to the problem of induction?
When I consider a proof, such as Euclid's proof of the infinitude of primes, it can give a sense that something necessarily true has been obtained.
I cannot remember where I got the idea, but a few ...
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What does philosophy of science say about an example that "supports" a hypothesis but at the same time seriously undermines it?
A hypothesis can be seriously weakened by an example that supports it. Assumption: No one can be taller than 9 feet. Example: There is a person who is 8 feet 1 inch tall". The discovery of such a ...
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What does the 3rd edition of Fact, Fiction, and Forecast say about grue?
On my website, I have reproduced the passages from Nelson Goodman's book Fact, Fiction, and Forecast that define his famous predicate grue (and related predicates such as emeruby). In fact, I have ...
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Causation with Inductive/Deductive Logic
I'm sofa-philosopher and I have a case I can't quite dismantle. My friend (let's call him John) just made a statement that I find philosophically weak, and I'd like to run it thru you guys.
So, John ...
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Non-Deductive methods in philosophical argumentation
I'm a mathematician, and I'm trying to expand my understanding of the philosophical basis of mathematics. Mathematics is very much taught axiomatically establishing deductive theories, but philosophy ...
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Is mathematical induction deduction, and if so, why is it so named?
By induction, I mean this screenshot from this Youtube video
Abduction as an Aspect of Retroduction | Chiasson, Phyllis | Commens
Induction:
The prefix “in,” also from the Latin has to do with ...
user8572
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Does 1. extra-, 2. intra-polation fall under abduction, induction or deduction?
How does extrapolation relate to abduction, deduction, and/or induction? Scilicet, does abduction, deduction, and/or induction fully encompass Extrapolation?
Same question for Interpolation.
I ...
user8572