Truth-Seeking by Abduction

Preface

Chapter 1. Peirce on Abduction

1.1. Classification of Inferences

1.2. Probabilistic Reasoning

1.3. Abduction Reconsidered

1.5. Some Debates about Abduction

Chapter 2. Analysis and Synthesis

2.1. The Regressive Method

2.2. Pappus on Geometrical Analysis

2.3. Analysis and Abduction

2.4. Poe's Stories of Ratiocination

2.5. Poe's Philosophy of Composition

Chapter 3. Abduction and Logic

3.1. Abduction as a Rule of Inference

3.2. Structural Rules for Abduction

3.3. Abduction by Semantic Tableaux

3.4. The GW Model of Abduction

3.5. Hintikka's Interrogative Model of Inquiry

Chapter 4. Inverse Problems

4.1. On Retroduction

4.2. Inverse Problems in Systems Theory

4.3. Radon's Theorem and Computerized Tomography

4.4. Abduction and Biological Evolution

4.5. Evolutionism in the Humanities

Chapter 5. Abduction as Discovery and Pursuit

5.1. Patterns of Heuristic Reasoning

5.2. Abduction as Discovery

5.3. Abduction as Pursuit

Chapter 6. Abduction and Confirmation

6.1. Inductive and Abductive Confirmation

6.2. Bayesian Confirmation

6.3. Explanatory Power and Confirmation

6.4. The Virtues of Unification

Chapter 7. Inference to the Best Explanation

7.1. IBE as a Rule of Acceptance

7.2. Replies to Criticisms

Chapter 8. Abduction and Truthlikeness

8.1. Approximate Explanation

8.2. Verisimilitude and Legisimilitude

8.3. Abduction with Truthlikeness

8.4. From Empirical Success to Truthlikeness

8.5. Abductive Belief Revision

Chapter 9. Abduction and Scientific Realism

9.1. Debates on Scientific Realism

9.2. The No-Miracle Argument

Bibliography

Index