Abstract
The purpose of this study is to understand scientific inference in the natural sciences through the use of abductive inference. Abductive inference enables scientific discovery through creative inference during problem solving. We present the following two research problems: (1) the validity of a scientific inference procedure building on Magnani’s research (2001) that employs various strategies and the criterion of hypotheses choice in order to increase plausibility: puzzling observation, abduction, retroduction, updating, deduction, induction, and recycle; and (2) the validity of our suggested multistage inference procedure for analyzing the “The Return of Halley’s Comet” case, which has been called Newtonianism’s most public triumph. Through an analysis of a case in the history of science, we describe the patterns of inference and the generation, through available data, of plausible hypotheses based on abductive inference. We then test these hypotheses with the deduction-induction cycle to determine which hypothesis is most plausible. A framework that includes the history of science can potentially provide a more consistent view of scientific practice and promote a deeper understanding of scientific concepts.
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Oh, Jy. (2012). Understanding Scientific Inference in the Natural Sciences Based on Abductive Inference Strategies. In: Magnani, L., Li, P. (eds) Philosophy and Cognitive Science. Studies in Applied Philosophy, Epistemology and Rational Ethics, vol 2. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29928-5_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29928-5_12
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