Keywords
inference to the best explanation
material theory of induction
How to Cite
Abstract
(Aizawa, 2025) proposed that scientists sometimes confirm hypotheses using abductive reasoning. That is, they presuppose that some H’s explaining some E provides some reason to believe H. As an example, Alan Hodgkin and Andrew Huxley used abductive reasoning to support their hypothesis that an influx of sodium ions into an axon generates the initial rise of the action potential. This paper articulates how the theory of abduction in (Aizawa, 2025) addresses the problems Norton raises for extant theories of inference to the best explanation. It also indicates how this theory counts as a material theory of abduction.
References
Aizawa, K. (2025). Compositional Abduction and Scientific Interpretation: A Granular Approach. Cambridge University Press.
Harman, G. H. (1965). The inference to the best explanation. The Philosophical Review, 74(1), 88-95.
Hodgkin, A. L., & Huxley, A. F. (1952). Currents carried by sodium and potassium ions through the membrane of the giant axon of Loligo. The Journal of Physiology, 116(4), 449-472. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.1952.sp004717
Kim, J. (1994). Explanatory knowledge and metaphysical dependence. Philosophical Issues, 5, 51-69.
Norton, J. D. (2021). The Material Theory of Induction. University of Calgary Press.
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