On Possibilities and Limits of the Application of Inductive Methods

Abstract

Inductive reasoning aims at determining the degree of confirmation involved when passing from a premise (which is regarded as problematic in the context) to a conclusion (which is regarded as hypothetical). An inductive conclusion assigns such a degree of confirmation to a conclusion relative to the given premise, the assignment being effected in accordance with a generally described procedure (a generally characterized function). Inductive logic is the theory of these inductive methods; it delinaates them from other procedures or functions, it systematizes them, and it shows in which situations the application of certain inductive methods is justified.