Bartha, Paul
(2021)
Prospects for Analogue Confirmation.
In: UNSPECIFIED.
Abstract
In analogical reasoning, observations about one or more source domains provide support for a conjecture about a target domain. Analogical support can range from plausibility to strong confirmation. In modeling this type of reasoning, two recent discussions are relevant. The first is Norton’s challenge to formal models of analogical inference (Norton 2021). The second, a debate about whether analogue experiments can confirm theories about an inaccessible target domain, provides impetus to develop just such formal models (Dardashti et al. 2019). This paper argues that we can navigate these discussions with quasi-formal models of analogical reasoning. Such models are broadly compatible with Norton’s position. They help to clarify the structure and strength of different forms of analogical inference, and to identify basic requirements for a good analogical inference, even when the target domain is inaccessible.
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