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#deduction — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #deduction, aggregated by home.social.

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  1. A quotation from Arthur Conan Doyle

    Beyond the obvious facts that he has at some time done manual labor, that he takes snuff, that he is a Freemason, that he has been in China, and that he has done a considerable amount of writing lately, I can deduce nothing else.

    Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) British writer and physician
    Story (1891-08), “The Red-Headed League,” [Holmes], The Strand Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 2

    More about this quote: wist.info/doyle-arthur-conan/8…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #arthurconandoyle #sherlockholmes #sherlock #holmes #redheadedleague #deduction #description #investigation #observation

  2. Three legs are needed for deductive causal inference:
    "Without assumptions regarding construct validity, one cannot accurately label the cause or outcome. Without assumptions regarding external validity, one cannot label the conditions enabling the cause to have an effect. If any of the assumptions regarding internal, construct, and external validity are missing, the claim is not deductively supported. The critical role of theoretical and substantive knowledge in deductive causal inference is illuminated by making such assumptions explicit. This article critically reviews approaches to identification in causal inference while developing a framework called causal specification. Causal specification augments existing identification strategies to enable and justify deductive, generalized claims about causes and effects. In the process, we review a variety of developments in the philosophy of science and causality and interdisciplinary social science methodology."

    Esterling, K., Brady, D. & Schwitzgebel, E. (2025). "The necessity of construct and external validity for deductive causal inference" doi.org/10.1515/jci-2024-0002

    #logics #validity #deduction #generalization #identification #causality #correlations #ProofTheory #PhilSci #truth #causalInference #socialScience

  3. Three legs are needed for deductive causal inference:
    "Without assumptions regarding construct validity, one cannot accurately label the cause or outcome. Without assumptions regarding external validity, one cannot label the conditions enabling the cause to have an effect. If any of the assumptions regarding internal, construct, and external validity are missing, the claim is not deductively supported. The critical role of theoretical and substantive knowledge in deductive causal inference is illuminated by making such assumptions explicit. This article critically reviews approaches to identification in causal inference while developing a framework called causal specification. Causal specification augments existing identification strategies to enable and justify deductive, generalized claims about causes and effects. In the process, we review a variety of developments in the philosophy of science and causality and interdisciplinary social science methodology."

    Esterling, K., Brady, D. & Schwitzgebel, E. (2025). "The necessity of construct and external validity for deductive causal inference" doi.org/10.1515/jci-2024-0002

  4. Information = Comprehension × Extension • Preamble 1
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2026/06

    Perhaps the best perspective from which to bring the connection between the theory of signs and the theory of inquiry into its proper focus is Peirce's own Theory of Information, which he began setting forth in lectures at Harvard and the Lowell Institute in 1865 and 1866. Peirce encapsulates the elements of his theory in the following formula.

    • Information = Comprehension × Extension

    In the Resources below I link to my study of Peirce's 1865–1866 Lectures on the Logic of Science, with selections from the lectures and my commentary on them.

    Ten summers ago I hit on what struck me as a new insight into one of the most recalcitrant problems in Peirce's semiotics and logic of science, namely, the relation between “the manner in which different representations stand for their objects” and the way in which different inferences transform states of information. I roughed out a sketch of my epiphany in a series of blog posts then set it aside for the cool of later reflection. Now looks to be a choice moment for taking another look.

    #Peirce #Logic #Inference #Inquiry #Abduction #Induction #Deduction #LogicOfScience
    #Information #Comprehension #Extension #InformationEqualsComprehensionTimesExtension
    #Semiotics #SignRelations #Icon #Index #Symbol #PragmaticSemioticInformation

  5. Information = Comprehension × Extension • Preamble 1
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2026/06

    Perhaps the best perspective from which to bring the connection between the theory of signs and the theory of inquiry into its proper focus is Peirce's own Theory of Information, which he began setting forth in lectures at Harvard and the Lowell Institute in 1865 and 1866. Peirce encapsulates the elements of his theory in the following formula.

    • Information = Comprehension × Extension

    In the Resources below I link to my study of Peirce's 1865–1866 Lectures on the Logic of Science, with selections from the lectures and my commentary on them.

    Ten summers ago I hit on what struck me as a new insight into one of the most recalcitrant problems in Peirce's semiotics and logic of science, namely, the relation between “the manner in which different representations stand for their objects” and the way in which different inferences transform states of information. I roughed out a sketch of my epiphany in a series of blog posts then set it aside for the cool of later reflection. Now looks to be a choice moment for taking another look.

    #Peirce #Logic #Inference #Inquiry #Abduction #Induction #Deduction #LogicOfScience
    #Information #Comprehension #Extension #InformationEqualsComprehensionTimesExtension
    #Semiotics #SignRelations #Icon #Index #Symbol #PragmaticSemioticInformation

  6. Some mathematical research that I've been doing. I just took a screenshot of my status update on DeviantArt, since there's no way I can fit it into the Mastodon format.

    #Math #Maths #Mathematics #Mathematical #Fractal #Fractals #Topology #Geometry #Geometric #Research #Series #Theorem #Proof #Deduction #Mathstodon

  7. Some mathematical research that I've been doing. I just took a screenshot of my status update on DeviantArt, since there's no way I can fit it into the Mastodon format.

    #Math #Maths #Mathematics #Mathematical #Fractal #Fractals #Topology #Geometry #Geometric #Research #Series #Theorem #Proof #Deduction #Mathstodon

  8. A quotation from Arthur Conan Doyle

       “It is simplicity itself,” said [Holmes]; “my eyes tell me that on the inside of your left shoe, just where the firelight strikes it, the leather is scored by six almost parallel cuts. Obviously they have been caused by someone who has very carelessly scraped round the edges of the sole in order to remove crusted mud from it. Hence, you see, my double deduction that you had been out in vile weather, and that you had a particularly malignant boot-slitting specimen of the London slavey.
       “As to your practice, if a gentleman walks into my rooms smelling of iodoform, with a black mark of nitrate of silver upon his right forefinger, and a bulge on the right side of his top-hat to show where he has secreted his stethoscope, I must be dull, indeed, if I do not pronounce him to be an active member of the medical profession.
       I could not help laughing at the ease with which he explained his process of deduction. “When I hear you give your reasons,” I remarked, “the thing always appears to me to be so ridiculously simple that I could easily do it myself, though at each successive instance of your reasoning I am baffled until you explain your process. And yet I believe that my eyes are as good as yours.”

    Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) British writer and physician
    Story (1891-07), “A Scandal in Bohemia,” ch. 1, The Strand Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 1

    More about this quote: wist.info/doyle-arthur-conan/8…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #arthurconandoyle #sherlock #sherlockholmes #conclusions #deduction #evidence #logic #observation #reasoning

  9. Dernier effort d'auto-promo : Je présente dans ce billet de blogue le concept des « cartes nuit ». Dans ma version du jeu des #LoupsGarous, chaque joueur, chaque joueuse peut avoir un rôle à jouer : pycomtois.com/2026/05/07/les-c 🐺 🌙

    Avec le code promo « FEDIVERS2026 », les cartes à imprimer sont offertes à 1,95 $CA, un rabais de 50 % : #Fedivers payhip.com/b/ICRi9

    #JeuDeSociété #JeuDesLoupsGarous #Atmosphère #Déduction #CartesÀImprimer #AutoPromo #Rôles #Jeux

  10. Dernier effort d'auto-promo : Je présente dans ce billet de blogue le concept des « cartes nuit ». Dans ma version du jeu des #LoupsGarous, chaque joueur, chaque joueuse peut avoir un rôle à jouer : pycomtois.com/2026/05/07/les-c 🐺 🌙

    Avec le code promo « FEDIVERS2026 », les cartes à imprimer sont offertes à 1,95 $CA, un rabais de 50 % : #Fedivers payhip.com/b/ICRi9

    #JeuDeSociété #JeuDesLoupsGarous #Atmosphère #Déduction #CartesÀImprimer #AutoPromo #Rôles #Jeux

  11. A quotation from Arthur Conan Doyle

    No, no: I never guess. It is a shocking habit, — destructive to the logical faculty.

    Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) British writer and physician
    Story (1890-02), “The Sign of the Four,” ch. 1 [Holmes], Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine, Vol. 45 (US) / 1 (UK)

    More about this quote: wist.info/doyle-arthur-conan/8…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #arthurconandoyle #sherlock #holmes #sherlockholmes #deduction #discipline #guess #guesswork #inference #logic

  12. A quotation from Arthur Conan Doyle

    How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?

    Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) British writer and physician
    Story (1890-02), “The Sign of the Four,” ch. 6 [Holmes], Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine, Vol. 45 (US) / 1 (UK)

    More about this quote: wist.info/doyle-arthur-conan/2…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #arthurconandoyle #sherlockholmes #sherlock #answer #conclusion #deduction #elimination #evidence #explanation #impossibility #improbability #processofelimination #solution #truth

  13. Turns out the current generation of model based AI cannot tell when it does not know the answer to a question; something humans can tell but prefer not to.

    I thought all my robots needed was an engine with capability.

  14. If reality does not agree with your theory, your theory is wrong.

    If reality does not agree with your deductions, your deductions are wrong.

    So far so good.

    However:
    If your deductions disagree with your theory, your theory (if it is a real theory that is based on evidence) actually outrank your deductions.

    Deduction is weak af.

    #Deduction #Science #Theory #Evidence

  15. If reality does not agree with your theory, your theory is wrong.

    If reality does not agree with your deductions, your deductions are wrong.

    So far so good.

    However:
    If your deductions disagree with your theory, your theory (if it is a real theory that is based on evidence) actually outrank your deductions.

    Deduction is weak af.

    #Deduction #Science #Theory #Evidence

  16. CW: A cool story about a deductive detective.

    Deduction is such a powerful tool.

    Right?

    Right?!?

    Indeed it is.

    Picture this scenario.
    You are a detective who has become stranded in a small secluded community, just as a wave of murders begin.
    This might seem odd to you (the reader), but that's because you're using your stupid inductive brain. Turn that shit off. From now on You are the deductive detective, not the reader.

    In deductive brain, nothing is ever normal, expected or unexpected.
    Every event is simultaneously unprecedented and inevitable, because deduction has no way of tracking precedence or likelihood.

    You are so blessed, deductive detective (should I call you Deductive, perhaps?).

    Anyway, you are currently tracking a murderer. Well, you would be, but you have gotten hopelessly lost in the very small community, because you have no way of learning its layout.
    A paltry price to pay for your amazing purely deductive Powers.

    Anyway, in an unprecedented and inevitable occurrence, you stumble upon the Baker stabbing the Cartwright, in exactly the same method as the previous murders.

    Unfortunately, your deductive powers tell you that you can't conclude anything from this, because there is no particular reason to think this community has only one murderer, or indeed that the murders were not all simple unprecedented and inevitable coincidences, carried out by different people in coincidentally similar manner.
    You also have no reason to think a person who has murdered once might murder again, so you step out into the light to chat with the initially surprised Baker.

    The end.

    #microfiction #Deduction #DeductionIsAJoke #WeakestFormOfInference

  17. CW: A cool story about a deductive detective.

    Deduction is such a powerful tool.

    Right?

    Right?!?

    Indeed it is.

    Picture this scenario.
    You are a detective who has become stranded in a small secluded community, just as a wave of murders begin.
    This might seem odd to you (the reader), but that's because you're using your stupid inductive brain. Turn that shit off. From now on You are the deductive detective, not the reader.

    In deductive brain, nothing is ever normal, expected or unexpected.
    Every event is simultaneously unprecedented and inevitable, because deduction has no way of tracking precedence or likelihood.

    You are so blessed, deductive detective (should I call you Deductive, perhaps?).

    Anyway, you are currently tracking a murderer. Well, you would be, but you have gotten hopelessly lost in the very small community, because you have no way of learning its layout.
    A paltry price to pay for your amazing purely deductive Powers.

    Anyway, in an unprecedented and inevitable occurrence, you stumble upon the Baker stabbing the Cartwright, in exactly the same method as the previous murders.

    Unfortunately, your deductive powers tell you that you can't conclude anything from this, because there is no particular reason to think this community has only one murderer, or indeed that the murders were not all simple unprecedented and inevitable coincidences, carried out by different people in coincidentally similar manner.
    You also have no reason to think a person who has murdered once might murder again, so you step out into the light to chat with the initially surprised Baker.

    The end.

    #microfiction #Deduction #DeductionIsAJoke #WeakestFormOfInference

  18. A quotation from Nassim Nicholas Taleb

    The same past data can confirm a theory and its exact opposite! If you survive until tomorrow, it could mean that either a) you are more likely to be immortal or b) that you are closer to death. Both conclusions rely on the exact same data.

    Nassim Nicholas Taleb (b. 1960) Lebanese-American essayist, statistician, risk analyst, aphorist
    The Black Swan, Part 2, ch. 11 “How to Look for Bird Poop” (2007)

    Sourcing, notes: wist.info/taleb-nassim-nichola…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #blackswan #conclusion #data #deduction #past #precedent #proof #surmise #theory

  19. The bill also would #penalize #states that expand #Medicaid in the future.

    Johnson also expanded a #deduction break for #state & #local #tax payments, a priority for a handful of centrist #Republicans who represent high-tax states like New York & California.

    #Democrats blasted the bill as disproportionately benefiting the #wealthy while cutting #benefits for working Americans. CBO found it would reduce #income for the #poorest 10% of US households & boost income for the top 10%.

    #law #Trump

  20. The bill also would #penalize #states that expand #Medicaid in the future.

    Johnson also expanded a #deduction break for #state & #local #tax payments, a priority for a handful of centrist #Republicans who represent high-tax states like New York & California.

    #Democrats blasted the bill as disproportionately benefiting the #wealthy while cutting #benefits for working Americans. CBO found it would reduce #income for the #poorest 10% of US households & boost income for the top 10%.

    #law #Trump

  21. Interpreter and Interpretant • Selection 10.2
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2025/02
    bsky.app/profile/inquiryintoin

    In logical terms, the analogy of experience proceeds by inducing a Rule about the validity of a current knowledge base and then by deducing a Fact, the applicability of that knowledge base to a current experience.

    Step 1 is Inductive, abstracting a Rule from a Case and a Fact.

    • Case : E_past ⇒ E_poss, Chosen events fairly sample Collective events.
    • Fact : E_past ⇒ K_pres, Chosen events support the Knowledge regime.
    ────────────────────────────────────────────────
    • Rule : E_poss ⇒ K_pres, Collective events support the Knowledge regime.

    Step 2 is Deductive, admitting a Case to a Rule and arriving at a Fact.

    • Case : E_pres ⇒ E_poss, Current events fairly sample Collective events.
    • Rule : E_poss ⇒ K_pres, Collective events support the Knowledge regime.
    ────────────────────────────────────────────────
    • Fact : E_pres ⇒ K_pres, Current events support the Knowledge regime.

    References —

    Awbrey, J.L., and Awbrey, S.M. (1995), “Interpretation as Action : The Risk of Inquiry”, Inquiry : Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines 15(1), 40–52.
    pdcnet.org/inquiryct/content/i
    academia.edu/57812482/Interpre

    Dewey, J. (1910), How We Think, D.C. Heath, Boston, MA. Reprinted (1991), Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY.
    gutenberg.org/files/37423/3742

    Resources —

    Survey of Abduction, Deduction, Induction, Analogy, Inquiry
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2024/02

    Survey of Semiotics, Semiosis, Sign Relations
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2024/01

    #Peirce #Logic #Semiotics #Semiosis #SignRelations
    #JohnDewey #Interpreter #Interpretant #Pragmatism
    #Abduction #Deduction #Induction #Analogy #Inquiry

  22. Interpreter and Interpretant • Selection 10.2
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2025/02
    bsky.app/profile/inquiryintoin

    In logical terms, the analogy of experience proceeds by inducing a Rule about the validity of a current knowledge base and then by deducing a Fact, the applicability of that knowledge base to a current experience.

    Step 1 is Inductive, abstracting a Rule from a Case and a Fact.

    • Case : E_past ⇒ E_poss, Chosen events fairly sample Collective events.
    • Fact : E_past ⇒ K_pres, Chosen events support the Knowledge regime.
    ────────────────────────────────────────────────
    • Rule : E_poss ⇒ K_pres, Collective events support the Knowledge regime.

    Step 2 is Deductive, admitting a Case to a Rule and arriving at a Fact.

    • Case : E_pres ⇒ E_poss, Current events fairly sample Collective events.
    • Rule : E_poss ⇒ K_pres, Collective events support the Knowledge regime.
    ────────────────────────────────────────────────
    • Fact : E_pres ⇒ K_pres, Current events support the Knowledge regime.

    References —

    Awbrey, J.L., and Awbrey, S.M. (1995), “Interpretation as Action : The Risk of Inquiry”, Inquiry : Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines 15(1), 40–52.
    pdcnet.org/inquiryct/content/i
    academia.edu/57812482/Interpre

    Dewey, J. (1910), How We Think, D.C. Heath, Boston, MA. Reprinted (1991), Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY.
    gutenberg.org/files/37423/3742

    Resources —

    Survey of Abduction, Deduction, Induction, Analogy, Inquiry
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2024/02

    Survey of Semiotics, Semiosis, Sign Relations
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2024/01

    #Peirce #Logic #Semiotics #Semiosis #SignRelations
    #JohnDewey #Interpreter #Interpretant #Pragmatism
    #Abduction #Deduction #Induction #Analogy #Inquiry

  23. Interpreter and Interpretant • Selection 10.1
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2025/02
    bsky.app/profile/inquiryintoin

    Transfer —

    Returning to the scene of Dewey's “Sign of Rain” example, let's continue examining how the transfer of knowledge through the analogy of experience works in that case.

    By way of a recap, we began by considering a fragment K_pres of the reasoner's knowledge base which is logically equivalent to a conjunction of two rules.

    • K_pres ⇔ (B ⇒ A) ∧ (B ⇒ D).

    K_pres may be thought of as a piece of knowledge or item of information allowing for the possibility of certain conditions, expressed in the form of a logical constraint on the present universe of discourse.

    Next we found it convenient to express all logical statements in terms of their models, that is, in terms of the primitive circumstances or elements of experience over which they hold true.

    • Let E_past be the chosen set of experiences, or the circumstances in mind under “past experience”.

    • Let E_poss be the collective set of experiences, or the prospective total of possible circumstances.

    • Let E_pres be the current experience, or the circumstances immediately present to the reasoner.

    If we think of the knowledge base K_pres as referring to the “regime of experience” over which it is valid, then the sets of models involved in the analogy may be ordered according to the relationships of set inclusion or logical implication existing among them.

    Figure 4 shows the subsumption relations involved in the analogy of experience.

    Figure 4. Analogy of Experience
    inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordp

    #Peirce #Logic #Semiotics #Semiosis #SignRelations
    #JohnDewey #Interpreter #Interpretant #Pragmatism
    #Abduction #Deduction #Induction #Analogy #Inquiry

  24. Interpreter and Interpretant • Selection 10.1
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2025/02
    bsky.app/profile/inquiryintoin

    Transfer —

    Returning to the scene of Dewey's “Sign of Rain” example, let's continue examining how the transfer of knowledge through the analogy of experience works in that case.

    By way of a recap, we began by considering a fragment K_pres of the reasoner's knowledge base which is logically equivalent to a conjunction of two rules.

    • K_pres ⇔ (B ⇒ A) ∧ (B ⇒ D).

    K_pres may be thought of as a piece of knowledge or item of information allowing for the possibility of certain conditions, expressed in the form of a logical constraint on the present universe of discourse.

    Next we found it convenient to express all logical statements in terms of their models, that is, in terms of the primitive circumstances or elements of experience over which they hold true.

    • Let E_past be the chosen set of experiences, or the circumstances in mind under “past experience”.

    • Let E_poss be the collective set of experiences, or the prospective total of possible circumstances.

    • Let E_pres be the current experience, or the circumstances immediately present to the reasoner.

    If we think of the knowledge base K_pres as referring to the “regime of experience” over which it is valid, then the sets of models involved in the analogy may be ordered according to the relationships of set inclusion or logical implication existing among them.

    Figure 4 shows the subsumption relations involved in the analogy of experience.

    Figure 4. Analogy of Experience
    inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordp

    #Peirce #Logic #Semiotics #Semiosis #SignRelations
    #JohnDewey #Interpreter #Interpretant #Pragmatism
    #Abduction #Deduction #Induction #Analogy #Inquiry

  25. Interpreter and Interpretant • Selection 9.2
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2025/01

    Transfer —

    In logical terms, the analogy of experience proceeds by inducing a Rule about the validity of a current knowledge base and then by deducing a Fact, the applicability of that knowledge base to a current experience.

    Step 1 is Inductive, abstracting a Rule from a Case and a Fact.

    • Case : E_past ⇒ E_poss, Chosen events fairly sample Collective events.
    • Fact : E_past ⇒ K_pres, Chosen events support the Knowledge regime.
    ────────────────────────────────────────────────
    • Rule : E_poss ⇒ K_pres, Collective events support the Knowledge regime.

    Step 2 is Deductive, admitting a Case to a Rule and arriving at a Fact.

    • Case : E_pres ⇒ E_poss, Current events fairly sample Collective events.
    • Rule : E_poss ⇒ K_pres, Collective events support the Knowledge regime.
    ────────────────────────────────────────────────
    • Fact : E_pres ⇒ K_pres, Current events support the Knowledge regime.

    References —

    Awbrey, J.L., and Awbrey, S.M. (1995), “Interpretation as Action : The Risk of Inquiry”, Inquiry : Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines 15(1), 40–52.
    pdcnet.org/inquiryct/content/i
    academia.edu/57812482/Interpre

    Dewey, J. (1910), How We Think, D.C. Heath, Boston, MA. Reprinted (1991), Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY.
    gutenberg.org/files/37423/3742

    Resources —

    Survey of Abduction, Deduction, Induction, Analogy, Inquiry
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2024/02

    Survey of Semiotics, Semiosis, Sign Relations
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2024/01

    #Peirce #Logic #Semiotics #Semiosis #SignRelations
    #JohnDewey #Interpreter #Interpretant #Pragmatism
    #Abduction #Deduction #Induction #Analogy #Inquiry

  26. Interpreter and Interpretant • Selection 9.2
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2025/01

    Transfer —

    In logical terms, the analogy of experience proceeds by inducing a Rule about the validity of a current knowledge base and then by deducing a Fact, the applicability of that knowledge base to a current experience.

    Step 1 is Inductive, abstracting a Rule from a Case and a Fact.

    • Case : E_past ⇒ E_poss, Chosen events fairly sample Collective events.
    • Fact : E_past ⇒ K_pres, Chosen events support the Knowledge regime.
    ────────────────────────────────────────────────
    • Rule : E_poss ⇒ K_pres, Collective events support the Knowledge regime.

    Step 2 is Deductive, admitting a Case to a Rule and arriving at a Fact.

    • Case : E_pres ⇒ E_poss, Current events fairly sample Collective events.
    • Rule : E_poss ⇒ K_pres, Collective events support the Knowledge regime.
    ────────────────────────────────────────────────
    • Fact : E_pres ⇒ K_pres, Current events support the Knowledge regime.

    References —

    Awbrey, J.L., and Awbrey, S.M. (1995), “Interpretation as Action : The Risk of Inquiry”, Inquiry : Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines 15(1), 40–52.
    pdcnet.org/inquiryct/content/i
    academia.edu/57812482/Interpre

    Dewey, J. (1910), How We Think, D.C. Heath, Boston, MA. Reprinted (1991), Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY.
    gutenberg.org/files/37423/3742

    Resources —

    Survey of Abduction, Deduction, Induction, Analogy, Inquiry
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2024/02

    Survey of Semiotics, Semiosis, Sign Relations
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2024/01

    #Peirce #Logic #Semiotics #Semiosis #SignRelations
    #JohnDewey #Interpreter #Interpretant #Pragmatism
    #Abduction #Deduction #Induction #Analogy #Inquiry

  27. Interpreter and Interpretant • Selection 9.1
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2025/01

    Transfer —

    Let's examine how the transfer of knowledge through the analogy of experience works in the case of Dewey's “Sign of Rain” example.

    For concreteness, consider a fragment K_pres of the reasoner's knowledge base which is logically equivalent to a conjunction of two rules.

    • K_pres ⇔ (B ⇒ A) ∧ (B ⇒ D).

    K_pres may be thought of as a piece of knowledge or item of information allowing for the possibility of certain conditions, expressed in the form of a logical constraint on the present universe of discourse.

    It is convenient to have the option of expressing all logical statements in terms of their models, that is, in terms of the primitive circumstances or elements of experience over which they hold true.

    • Let E_past be the chosen set of experiences, or the circumstances in mind under “past experience”.

    • Let E_poss be the collective set of experiences, or the prospective total of possible circumstances.

    • Let E_pres be the current experience, or the circumstances immediately present to the reasoner.

    If we think of the knowledge base K_pres as referring to the “regime of experience” over which it is valid, then the sets of models involved in the analogy may be ordered according to the relationships of set inclusion or logical implication existing among them.

    #Peirce #Logic #Semiotics #Semiosis #SignRelations
    #JohnDewey #Interpreter #Interpretant #Pragmatism
    #Abduction #Deduction #Induction #Analogy #Inquiry

  28. Interpreter and Interpretant • Selection 9.1
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2025/01

    Transfer —

    Let's examine how the transfer of knowledge through the analogy of experience works in the case of Dewey's “Sign of Rain” example.

    For concreteness, consider a fragment K_pres of the reasoner's knowledge base which is logically equivalent to a conjunction of two rules.

    • K_pres ⇔ (B ⇒ A) ∧ (B ⇒ D).

    K_pres may be thought of as a piece of knowledge or item of information allowing for the possibility of certain conditions, expressed in the form of a logical constraint on the present universe of discourse.

    It is convenient to have the option of expressing all logical statements in terms of their models, that is, in terms of the primitive circumstances or elements of experience over which they hold true.

    • Let E_past be the chosen set of experiences, or the circumstances in mind under “past experience”.

    • Let E_poss be the collective set of experiences, or the prospective total of possible circumstances.

    • Let E_pres be the current experience, or the circumstances immediately present to the reasoner.

    If we think of the knowledge base K_pres as referring to the “regime of experience” over which it is valid, then the sets of models involved in the analogy may be ordered according to the relationships of set inclusion or logical implication existing among them.

    #Peirce #Logic #Semiotics #Semiosis #SignRelations
    #JohnDewey #Interpreter #Interpretant #Pragmatism
    #Abduction #Deduction #Induction #Analogy #Inquiry

  29. Interpreter and Interpretant • Selection 8
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2025/01

    Transfer —

    What exactly gives the acquisition of a knowledge base its distinctively inductive character? It is evidently the “analogy of experience” involved in applying what we've learned in the past to what confronts us in the present.

    Whenever we find ourselves approaching a problem with the thought, “If past experience is any guide …” we can be sure the analogy of experience has come into play. We are seeking to find analogies between past experience as a totality and present experience as a point of application.

    From a statistical point of view what we mean is this — “If past experience is a fair sample of possible experience then knowledge gained from past experience may usefully apply to present experience”. It is that mechanism which allows a knowledge base to be carried across gulfs of experience which remain indifferent to the effective contents of its rules.

    Next we'll examine how the transfer of knowledge through the analogy of experience works out in the case of Dewey's “Sign of Rain” example.

    References —

    Awbrey, J.L., and Awbrey, S.M. (1995), “Interpretation as Action : The Risk of Inquiry”, Inquiry : Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines 15(1), 40–52.
    pdcnet.org/inquiryct/content/i
    academia.edu/57812482/Interpre

    Dewey, J. (1910), How We Think, D.C. Heath, Boston, MA. Reprinted (1991), Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY.
    gutenberg.org/files/37423/3742

    #Peirce #Logic #Semiotics #Semiosis #SignRelations
    #JohnDewey #Interpreter #Interpretant #Pragmatism
    #Abduction #Deduction #Induction #Analogy #Inquiry

  30. Interpreter and Interpretant • Selection 7
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2025/01

    Learning —

    Rules in a knowledge base, as far as their effective content goes, can be obtained by any mode of inference. For example, consider a proposition of the following form.

    • B ⇒ A, Just Before it rains, the Air is cool.

    Such a proposition is usually induced from a consideration of many past events. The inductive inference may be observed to fit the following pattern.

    • Case : C ⇒ B, In Certain events, it is just Before it rains.
    • Fact : C ⇒ A, In Certain events, the Air is cool.
    ────────────────────────────────────
    • Rule : B ⇒ A, Just Before it rains, the Air is cool.

    However, the same proposition could also be abduced as an explanation of a singular occurrence or deduced as a conclusion of a prior theory.

    References —

    Awbrey, J.L., and Awbrey, S.M. (1995), “Interpretation as Action : The Risk of Inquiry”, Inquiry : Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines 15(1), 40–52.
    pdcnet.org/inquiryct/content/i
    academia.edu/57812482/Interpre

    Dewey, J. (1910), How We Think, D.C. Heath, Boston, MA. Reprinted (1991), Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY.
    gutenberg.org/files/37423/3742

    Resources —

    Survey of Abduction, Deduction, Induction, Analogy, Inquiry
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2024/02

    Survey of Semiotics, Semiosis, Sign Relations
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2024/01

    #Peirce #Logic #Semiotics #SignRelations #TriadicRelations
    #Interpretation #Interpreter #Interpretant #Hermeneutics
    #JohnDewey #Inquiry #Abduction #Deduction #Induction
    #Abstraction #HypostaticAbstraction #Reflection

  31. Interpreter and Interpretant • Selection 6
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2025/01

    Inquiry and Induction —

    To understand the bearing of inductive reasoning on the closing phases of inquiry there are a couple of observations we should make.

    • Smaller inquiries are typically woven into larger inquiries, whether the whole pattern of inquiry is carried on by a single agent or by a complex community.

    • There are several ways particular instances of inquiry are related to ongoing inquiries at larger scales. Three modes of interaction between component inquiries and compound inquiries may be described under the headings of Learning, Transfer, and Testing of Rules.

    #Peirce #Logic #Semiotics #SignRelations #TriadicRelations
    #Interpretation #Interpreter #Interpretant #Hermeneutics
    #JohnDewey #Inquiry #Abduction #Deduction #Induction
    #Abstraction #HypostaticAbstraction #Reflection

  32. Interpreter and Interpretant • Selection 5
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2025/01

    Inquiry and Inference —

    If we follow Dewey's “Sign of Rain” story far enough to consider the import of thought for action, we realize the subsequent conduct of the interpreter, progressing up through the natural conclusion of the episode — the quickening steps, the seeking of shelter in time to escape the rain — all those acts amount to a series of further interpretants for the initially recognized signs of rain and the first impressions of the actual case. Just as critical reflection develops the positive and negative signs which gather about an idea, pragmatic interpretation explores the consequential and contrasting actions which give effective and testable meaning to a person's belief in it.

    #Peirce #Logic #Semiotics #SignRelations #TriadicRelations
    #Interpretation #Interpreter #Interpretant #Hermeneutics
    #JohnDewey #Inquiry #Abduction #Deduction #Induction
    #Abstraction #HypostaticAbstraction #Reflection

  33. Interpreter and Interpretant • Selection 4
    inquiryintoinquiry.com/2025/01

    Interpretation and Inquiry —

    To illustrate the role of sign relations in inquiry we begin with Dewey's elegant and simple example of reflective thinking in everyday life.

    ❝A man is walking on a warm day. The sky was clear the last time he observed it; but presently he notes, while occupied primarily with other things, that the air is cooler. It occurs to him that it is probably going to rain; looking up, he sees a dark cloud between him and the sun, and he then quickens his steps. What, if anything, in such a situation can be called thought? Neither the act of walking nor the noting of the cold is a thought. Walking is one direction of activity; looking and noting are other modes of activity. The likelihood that it will rain is, however, something suggested. The pedestrian feels the cold; he thinks of clouds and a coming shower.❞ (John Dewey, How We Think, 6–7).

    #Peirce #Logic #Semiotics #Semiosis #SignRelations #TriadicRelations
    #Cybersemiotics #Interpreter #Interpretant #Hermeneutics #Hermenaut
    #JohnDewey #HowWeThink #Inquiry #Abduction #Deduction #Induction
    #Abstraction #HypostaticAbstraction #Reflection #Interpretation

  34. Why do we say that induction is stronger than deduction?

    It depends, because induction is stronger than deduction in several ways.

    Formal strength lies in part in what sort of problem the method can work on. Induction can work on stuff that deduction can't even begin to work on.

    Strength of output lies in how well the outcomes tolerate contradiction. An inductive conclusion can withstand quite a bit of contradiction. Deductive outcomes cannot withstand any contradiction at all.

    These two are related, though.
    An inductive outcome can be formed from input that contains contradictions. And when the outcome encounters a contradiction, this is simply added to the Body of Evidence, with all the other contradictions that in the end didn't manage to prevent conclusion.

    Of course, given enough such evidence, a better outcome or set of outcomes can be produced.

    But with deduction, if you hit even a single contradiction, your entire effort was wasted - the conclusion is now worthless.

    This strength of induction was predicted already by Hume, who described what we now call inductive reasoning as:

    • infallible in its operations
    • discovers itself at the first appearance of life and thought
    • independent of all the laboured deductions of the understanding

    @philosophy #deduction #induction