Inductionism is the
scientific philosophy where laws are "
induced" from sets of data. As an example, one might measure the strength of electrical forces at varying distances from charges and induce the
inverse square law
In science, an inverse-square law is any scientific law stating that a specified physical quantity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source of that physical quantity. The fundamental cause for this can be unders ...
of
electrostatics
Electrostatics is a branch of physics that studies electric charges at rest ( static electricity).
Since classical times, it has been known that some materials, such as amber, attract lightweight particles after rubbing. The Greek word for a ...
. This concept is considered one of the two pillars of the old view of the
philosophy of science
Philosophy of science is a branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. The central questions of this study concern what qualifies as science, the reliability of scientific theories, and the ultim ...
, together with
verifiability
Verify or verification may refer to:
General
* Verification and validation, in engineering or quality management systems, is the act of reviewing, inspecting or testing, in order to establish and document that a product, service or system meets ...
.
An application of inductionism can show how experimental evidence can confirm or inductively justify the belief in generalization and the laws of nature.
Origin and development
Some aspects of induction has been credited to Aristotle. For example, in ''
Prior Analytics
The ''Prior Analytics'' ( grc-gre, Ἀναλυτικὰ Πρότερα; la, Analytica Priora) is a work by Aristotle on reasoning, known as his syllogistic, composed around 350 BCE. Being one of the six extant Aristotelian writings on logic a ...
'', he proposed an inductive
syllogism
A syllogism ( grc-gre, συλλογισμός, ''syllogismos'', 'conclusion, inference') is a kind of logical argument that applies deductive reasoning to arrive at a conclusion based on two propositions that are asserted or assumed to be tru ...
, which served to establish the primary and immediate proposition.
For scholars, this constitutes the principle of demonstrative science.
The Greek philosopher, however, did not develop a detailed theory of induction. Some sources even state that the Aristotelian conceptualization of induction is different from its modern mainstream interpretations due to its position that inductive arguments are deductively valid.
The early form of modern inductionism is associated with the philosophies of thinkers such as
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...
. This can be demonstrated in the way Bacon favored the steady and incremental collection of empirical evidence using a method that derives general principles from the senses and particulars, gradually leading to the most general principles.
Inductionism is also said to be based on
Newtonian physics
Classical mechanics is a physical theory describing the motion of macroscopic objects, from projectiles to parts of machinery, and astronomical objects, such as spacecraft, planets, stars, and galaxies. For objects governed by classical mec ...
.
This is evident in
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, Theology, theologian, and author (described in his time as a "natural philosophy, natural philosopher"), widely ...
's ''Rule of Reasoning in Philosophy'', which articulated his belief that it is imperative to cover the unobservably small features of the world through a methodology that has a strong empirical base.
Here, the speculative hypothesis was replaced by induction from premises obtained through observation and experiment.
Opposing views
It is noted that no law of science can be considered mere inductive generalization of facts because each law does not exist in isolation. This is for, instance, demonstrated by thinkers such as
Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, Member of Parliament (MP) and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of classical liberalism, he contributed widely to ...
, who maintained that inductionism is the initial act in the formulation of a general law using the deductive approaches to science. There are thinkers who propose a model that is considered anti-inductionism. These include
Karl Popper
Sir Karl Raimund Popper (28 July 1902 – 17 September 1994) was an Austrian-British philosopher, academic and social commentator. One of the 20th century's most influential philosophers of science, Popper is known for his rejection of the ...
, who argued that science could progress without making any use of induction and that there is a fundamental asymmetry between induction and deduction.
See also
*
Inductive reasoning
Inductive reasoning is a method of reasoning in which a general principle is derived from a body of observations. It consists of making broad generalizations based on specific observations. Inductive reasoning is distinct from ''deductive'' re ...
References
Metatheory of science
Inductive reasoning
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