Norton, John D. (2025) Common Origin Inferences and the Material Theory of Induction. Philosophies, 10 (34). ISSN 2409-9287
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Abstract
The outstanding problem for common origin inferences (“COIs”) is to understand why they succeed when they do, and why they fail when they do. The material theory of induction provides a solution: COIs are warranted by background facts. Whether a COI succeeds or fails depends on the truth of its warranting propositions. Examples from matter theory and Newton’s Principia illustrate how COIs can fail; and an example from relativity theory illustrates a success. Hypotheses, according to the material theory, can be posited as a temporary expedient to initiate an inductive enterprise. This use of hypotheses enables COIs to serve as incentives for further research. It is illustrated with the example of the Copernican hypothesis.
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| Item Type: | Published Article or Volume | ||||||
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| Additional Information: | This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/). | ||||||
| Keywords: | COI; common origin inference; material theory of induction | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Confirmation/Induction General Issues > Evidence General Issues > Explanation |
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| Depositing User: | John Norton | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 13 Nov 2025 21:18 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 13 Nov 2025 21:18 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 27214 | ||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Philosophies | ||||||
| Publisher: | MDPI | ||||||
| Official URL: | https://doi.org/10.3390/ philosophies10050094 | ||||||
| DOI or Unique Handle: | doi.org/10.3390/ philosophies10050094 | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Confirmation/Induction General Issues > Evidence General Issues > Explanation |
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| Date: | 22 August 2025 | ||||||
| Volume: | 10 | ||||||
| Number: | 34 | ||||||
| ISSN: | 2409-9287 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/27214 |
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