General Notion of Inference
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GENERAL NOTION OF INFERENCE
I. SOME DEFINITIONS
• INFERENCE = one of the ways to arrive at a truth. o COHERENCE THEORY OF TRUTH
• INFERENCE (broad sense) = any process by which the mind proceeds from one or more propositions to other propositions seen to be implied in the former.
• INFERENCE (strict sense) = the operation by which the mind gets new knowledge by drawing out the implications of what is already known.
• INFERENCE = also applied to any series of propositions so arranged that one, called the CONSEQUENT, flows with logical necessity from one or more others, called the ANTECEDENT.
• ANTECEDENT (Latin, antecedo) = “that which goes before” o Defined as “that from which something is inferred”
• CONSEQUENT ( Latin, consequor) = “that which follows after” o Defined as “that which is inferred from the antecedent”
• N.B. 1. The ANTECEDENT AND CONSEQUENT of a VALID INFERENCE are so related that the TRUTH of the ANTECEDENT involves the TRUTH of the CONSEQUENT (but not vice versa).
2. The FALSITY of the CONSEQUENT involves the FALSITY of the ANTECEDENT (but not vice versa).
3. The connection by virtue of which the consequent flows with LOGICAL NECESSITY from the antecedent is known as CONSEQUENCE or simply SEQUENCE.
4. The SEQUENCE (which is signified by the so called CONCLUSION INDICATORS, e.g., therefore, consequently, accordingly, hence, thus, and so, for this reason, etc) is the VERY HEART of INFERENCE; and when we make an inference, our assent bears on it directly.
• A GENUINE SEQUENCE is called VALID; a PSEUDO SEQUENCE is called INVALID.
SYNOPTIC SCHEMA
ANTECEDENT (premises)
(connection between
INFERENCE the antecedent and the consequent)
CONSEQUENT (conclusion)
FORMAL AND MATERIAL
GENERAL NOTION OF INFERENCE
I. SOME DEFINITIONS
• INFERENCE = one of the ways to arrive at a truth. o COHERENCE THEORY OF TRUTH
• INFERENCE (broad sense) = any process by which the mind proceeds from one or more propositions to other propositions seen to be implied in the former.
• INFERENCE (strict sense) = the operation by which the mind gets new knowledge by drawing out the implications of what is already known.
• INFERENCE = also applied to any series of propositions so arranged that one, called the CONSEQUENT, flows with logical necessity from one or more others, called the ANTECEDENT.
• ANTECEDENT (Latin, antecedo) = “that which goes before” o Defined as “that from which something is inferred”
• CONSEQUENT ( Latin, consequor) = “that which follows after” o Defined as “that which is inferred from the antecedent”
• N.B. 1. The ANTECEDENT AND CONSEQUENT of a VALID INFERENCE are so related that the TRUTH of the ANTECEDENT involves the TRUTH of the CONSEQUENT (but not vice versa).
2. The FALSITY of the CONSEQUENT involves the FALSITY of the ANTECEDENT (but not vice versa).
3. The connection by virtue of which the consequent flows with LOGICAL NECESSITY from the antecedent is known as CONSEQUENCE or simply SEQUENCE.
4. The SEQUENCE (which is signified by the so called CONCLUSION INDICATORS, e.g., therefore, consequently, accordingly, hence, thus, and so, for this reason, etc) is the VERY HEART of INFERENCE; and when we make an inference, our assent bears on it directly.
• A GENUINE SEQUENCE is called VALID; a PSEUDO SEQUENCE is called INVALID.
SYNOPTIC SCHEMA
ANTECEDENT (premises)
(connection between
INFERENCE the antecedent and the consequent)
CONSEQUENT (conclusion)
FORMAL AND MATERIAL