Abductive Reasoning in Science

Préface
This Element shows abductive reasoning is ubiquitous, especially in science. But what is it exactly and why does it work?

Résumé
This Element gives an opinionated overview of both accounts of abductive reasoning that have been proposed and the problems that have motivated them. It evaluates these accounts towards a systematic view of the nature and purpose of abductive reasoning in science. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Contenu
Introduction; 1. A brief history of abductive reasoning; 2. Contemporary accounts of abductive reasoning; 3. Why prefer explanatory hypotheses?; 4. Is abductive reasoning irrational?; Conclusion; References.