Research
Where is the Limit to Abduction’s Explanatory Power?
Abstract
Abduction, also known as, inference to the best explanation, is employed in factual and normative inquiry. In this paper, I answer the question: where is the limit to abduction’s explanatory power? To answer this question, I examine Hobbes’s Leviathan and Descartes’s Discourse on Method. I compare Hobbes’s empirical beliefs about human psychology and Descartes’s micro mechanical explanations with Hobbes’s discussion of religion. As a result of this analysis, I argue that there is at least one case where religion is the limit to abduction’s explanatory power, and that case is Hobbes’s discussion of religion.
How to Cite:
Salomon, A., 2013. Where is the Limit to Abduction’s Explanatory Power?. International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities, 5(2), pp.11 (82–87). DOI: http://doi.org/10.7710/2155-4838.1079
Published on
19 Jun 2013.
Peer Reviewed
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