Preface
Chapter 1. Peirce on Abduction
1.1. Classification of Inferences
1.2. Probabilistic Reasoning
1.3. Abduction Reconsidered
1.4. Interpretations of Abduction1.5. 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
About the Author: Ilkka Niiniluoto is Professor Emeritus of Theoretical Philosophy at the University of Helsinki. After his Ph.D. on inductive logic in 1974, his main work has been on truthlikeness, scientific progress and critical scientific realism.
