Definition
Abductive reasoning consists in applying norms underlying the generation of hypotheses.
Theoretical Background
Logic and reasoning are usually thought of in the realm of deductive reasoning which is concerned with preserving truth. A valid deductive argument is one for which true premises guarantee a true conclusion. Aristotle’s syllogisms are familiar examples of such arguments. All A are B and C is an A lead to the conclusion that C is a B. All men are mortal and Socrates is a man requires that Socrates is mortal.
The hypothetico-deductive method provides a means of analyzing scientific reasoning. Given a hypothesis, predictions can be deduced from the hypothesis which is then tested by scientific experiments. However, as Karl Popper argued, the consequences of testing a hypothesis are quite different in the case of finding confirming as opposed to disconfirming evidence. Given a...
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References
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Schvaneveldt, R. W., & Cohen, T. A. (2010). Abductive reasoning and similarity: Some computational tools. In D. Ifenthaler, P. Pirnay-Dummer, & N. M. Seel (Eds.), Computer based diagnostics and systematic analysis of knowledge. New York: Springer.
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Schvaneveldt, R.W. (2012). Abductive Reasoning. In: Seel, N.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_889
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