Mills Inductive Reasoning Essay - 1539 Words

Mill’s Inductive reasoning Mills method of agreement identifies a cause of an event in terms of its sufficient condition. When using this method, one searches for a single factor that is common to multiple situations in which the same event occurred. Mill says that, when two or more occurrences of the event under investigation have only one condition in common, then that condition is the cause of the event. (Mill, 2002) More simply stated, Mills method of agreement eliminates all but one common precursor. Mills method of agreement requires that in all cases where a consequence has occurred, the antecedent condition must be present. This method isolates the supposed origin by listing all of the possible factors that can be†¦show more content†¦Method of Difference According to Mill, if an occurrence in which the event being investigated occurs, and an instance in which it does not occur, have every condition in common except one, then that one circumstance in which alone the two instances differ is the effect, or the cause, or an indispensable part of the cause, of the occurrence. The method of difference necessitates a comparison of at least one case in which the occurrence appeared and at least one in which it did not, (Kemerling, 2001). Simply stated, Mills method of difference is the exclusion of all differences between the cases being studied except one between instances in which the effect occurred and those in which it did not. For example, in the case above: Suppose our four co-workers all ordered the same meal - Hamburger, Fries and a Diet Pepsi. However, one decided to add a slice of cherry pie. It would be reasonable for that one person to say, quot;I shouldnt have had the pie. It made me sick.quot; The pie may have been spoiled or perhaps the sickness was from over eating - were not sure. However, it would be reasonable to conclude that we have isolated the pie as a factor that caused that one persons nausea, (Kemerling, 2001). The major difference between the indirect method of difference and the method of agreement is that the indirect method uses negative cases to strengthen conclusions drawnShow MoreRelatedInduction As A General Law Or Principle From The Observation Of Particular Instances ( Induction )1707 Words   |  7 Pagesthe end side with the both of them and disagree with induction. What is Induction? Induction is the generally held belief that scientific knowledge derives its justification by being based on generalization from experience (Induction). In inductive reasoning occurs when an individual makes a number of observations in a variation of circumstances and adopts a new, broader claim or general law based on these objective observations. For example, after a series of observations that when you kick a babyRead MoreAn Examination Of Sir William Hamilton s Philosophy, And Of The Principal Philosophical Questions1908 Words   |  8 PagesThe Problem of Other Minds is said to be first introduced by John Stuart Mill in his 1979 works â€Å"An Examination of Sir William Hamilton’s Philosophy, and of The Principal Philosophical Questions Discussed in his Writings† (Mill, 1867) in which Mill talks about his â€Å"fellow creatures† and his belief that there are other minds beside our own. The idea behind the problem of other minds is whether or not we can jus tify our belief that there are other minds beside our own. 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This theory however must be tested in order to see whether it is categorically applicable to all sickness including those based on numbers such s Calculus; Arithmetic and Algebra. Every step of arithmetic seems to demonstrate a real inductive progression, such as 2+1 = 3Read MoreThe Nature Of Educational Research Essay2752 Words   |  12 Pagesattempt to understand the world around them by utilizing inductive and deductive reasoning in their research because a reason constitutes a primary source of knowledge on the ground of a philosophical idea the so-called rationalism (Mouly, 1978). Expression of notions exist because people have reasons which are inductively and deductively articulated in order to generalize and specify these arguments. Inductive reasoning is the method of reasoning in which the properties deliver good information. TheRead MoreThe Design Argument - as Level Essay examples3128 Words   |  13 Pagesobservation. The argument is also inductive meaning there a number of possible conclusions. The main basis of the Teleological argument is based on a designer commonly known as ‘the classical God of theism’ (hereafter referred to as God) The outline of the design argument is that the universe has order and purpose and is regular, the complexities of the universe demonstrate some form of design, a design requires a designer, and this designer is God. This however is an inductive leap meaning that the DesignRead More The Significance of Philosophical Scepticism Essays1817 Words   |  8 Pagesscepticism would not be a surprising verdict on our aspirations to knowledge but simply a consequence of some regrettable, theoretical missteps. This is in fact what makes sceptical arguments philosophically interesting. They present us with a line of reasoning that we ourselves find intuitively plausible, but which leads to a conclusion that we find absolutely implausible. The task then, for those epistemologists who think that scepticism is based on a mistake, is to identify and explain the mistake.