Inductive Inference and Its Natural Ground : An Essay in Naturalistic Epistemology (An Essay in Naturalistic Philosophy) （Reprint）

Kornblith, Hilary

Bradford Books（1995/08発売）

• 製本 Paperback:紙装版/ペーパーバック版／ページ数 136 p.
• 言語 ENG
• 商品コード 9780262611169
• DDC分類 153

基本説明

New in paperback. Hardcover was published in 1993. Presents an account of inductive inference that addresses both its metaphysical and epistemological aspects.

Full Description

Hilary Kornblith presents an account of inductive inference that addresses both its metaphysical and epistemological aspects. He argues that inductive knowledge is possible by virtue of the fit between our innate psychological capacities and the causal structure of the world.Kornblith begins by developing an account of natural kinds that has its origins in John Locke's work on real and nominal essences. In Kornblith's view, a natural kind is a stable cluster of properties that are bound together in nature. The existence of such kinds serves as a natural ground of inductive inference.Kornblith then examines two features of human psychology that explain how knowledge of natural kinds is attained. First, our concepts are structured innately in a way that presupposes the existence of natural kinds. Second, our native inferential tendencies tend to provide us with accurate beliefs about the world when applied to environments that are populated by natural kinds.