Abstract
This paper defends deductivism, the view that the only valid arguments are deductivity valid arguments, and that deductive logic is the only logic that we have or need. Inductive arguments are construed as valid deductive enthymemes. Some of these, with general epistemic principles as missing premises, may be sound as well as valid – thus solving the philosophical problem of induction. But that problem is not to be trivialised by regarding the epistemic principles as analytic truths, as Pargetter and Bigelow have recently suggested.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Fox, J.: 1996, 'Deductivism Surpassed', Victorian Centre for the History and Philosophy of Science, La Trobe University, Preprint Series, Number 5/96.
McLaughlin, R.: 1982, 'Invention and Appraisal', in R. McLaughlin (ed), What? Where? When? Why? Essayson Induction, Space and Time, Explanation (Australasian Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, Vol. I), Reidel, Dordrecht, 1982, pp. 69–100.
Musgrave, A.: 1980, 'Wittgensteinian Instrumentalism', Theoria 46, 65–105.
Musgrave, A.: 1988, 'Is There a Logic of Scientific Discovery?', The LSE Quarterly 2, 205–227.
Musgrave, A.: 1989, 'Deductive Heuristics', in K. Gavroglu et al. (eds), Imre Lakatos and Theories of Scientific Change (Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, Vol. 111), Reidel, Dordrecht, 1989, pp. 15–32.
Musgrave, A.: 1991, What Is Critical Rationalism?, in A. Bohnen and A. Musgrave (eds), Wege der Vernunft: Festschrift zum siebzigsten Geburtstag von Hans Albert, J.C.B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck), Tubingen, 1991, pp. 17–30.
Musgrave, A.: 1993, 'Popper on Induction', Philosophy of the Social Sciences 23, 516–527.
Musgrave, A.: 1993, Common Sense, Science and Scepticism, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Nagel, E.: 1961, The Structure of Science, Harcourt Brace, New York.
Pargetter, R. & Bigelow, J.: 1997, 'The Validation of Induction', Australasian Journal of Philosophy 75, 62–76.
Peirce, C.S.: 1934, The Collected Papers of Charles Sanders Peirce, Volume 5, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.
Popper, K.R.: 1962, Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge, Routledge and Kegan Paul, London.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Musgrave, A. How To Do Without Inductive Logic. Science & Education 8, 395–412 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008698208959
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008698208959