What is Abduction?: An Assessment of Jaakko Hintikka's Conception

Few nations of the world have a more distinguished philosophical tradition than Finland, and few philosophers have attained the distinction of Jaakko Hintikka. His research displays a breadth of interest and a depth of analysis that brings a sense of admiration tinged with envy to most members of the profession. It would be asking too much of anyone to attempt to encompass the complete content of his voluminous publications. Indeed, I shall make no such effort here but shall focus instead on one of his books, Inquiry as Inquiry: A Logic of Scientific Discovery (1999), and from it one of his articles, "What is Abduction?" (1998), and its primary theme, namely: that abduction cannot be adequately understood as inference to the best explanation, but that, when taken as a method for providing answers to an inquirer's questions, it can fit comfortably within Hintikka's own interrogative model of knowledge acquisition.