Abduction, or abductive reasoning, is the process of reasoning to the best explanations. In other words, it is the reasoning process that starts from a set of facts and derives their most likely explanations. The term abduction is sometimes used to mean just the generation of hypotheses to explain observations or conclusions, but the former definition is more common both in philosophy and computing. Deduction and abduction differ in the direction in which a rule like “a entail ...

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Abductive reasoning - Logic-based Abduction Abductive reasoning - Set-Cover Abduction Abductive reasoning - History of the concept Abductive reasoning - Applications

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Abductive reasoning, Abductive reasoning - Logic-based Abduction, Abductive reasoning - Set-Cover Abduction, Abductive reasoning - History of the concept, Abductive reasoning - Applications

Read more here: » Abductive reasoning: Encyclopedia II - Abductive reasoning - Applications

A different formalization of abduction is based on inverting the function that calculates the visible effects of the hypotheses. Formally, we are given a set of hypotheses H and a set of manifestations M; they are related by the domain knowledge, represented by a function e that takes as an argument a set of hypotheses and gives as a result the corresponding set of manifestations. In other words, for every subset of the hypotheses , their effects are kn ...

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Abductive reasoning, Abductive reasoning - Logic-based Abduction, Abductive reasoning - Set-Cover Abduction, Abductive reasoning - History of the concept, Abductive reasoning - Applications

Read more here: » Abductive reasoning: Encyclopedia II - Abductive reasoning - Set-Cover Abduction

In logic, abduction is done from a logical theory T representing a domain and a set of observations O. Abduction is the process of deriving a set of explanations of O according to T. For E to be an explanation of O according to T, it should satisfy two conditions: See also:

Abductive reasoning, Abductive reasoning - Logic-based Abduction, Abductive reasoning - Set-Cover Abduction, Abductive reasoning - History of the concept, Abductive reasoning - Applications

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An explanation is a statement which points to causes, context and consequences of some object (or process, state of affairs etc.), together with rules or laws which link these to the object. Some of these elements of the explanation may be implicit. Explanations can only be given by those with understanding of the object which is explained. In scientific research, explanation is one of three purposes of research (other two being exploration and description). Explanation is the discovery and reporting of relationsh ...

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The support which the premises provide for the conclusion is dependent on the number of individuals in the sample group compared to the number in the population, and the randomness of the sample. The hasty generalization and biased sample are fallacies related to generalization. Statistical syllogism  A statistical syllogism proceeds from a generalization to a conclusion about an individual. A proportion Q of population P has attribute A. An individual I is a member of P. Concl ...

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Induction philosophy, Induction philosophy - Validity, Induction philosophy - Types of inductive reasoning, Induction philosophy - Bayesian inference

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Abduction. Kidnapping, as a near synonym in criminal law, but sometimes used particularly in cases involving a woman or child Abduction, an anatomically defined type of movement involving a change in organ or limb position Abductive reasoning, a method of reasoning in logic Child abduction, the abduction or kidnapping of a young child (or baby) by an older person Abduction Phenomenon, an umbrella term used to describe a number of hypotheses, claims or asserti

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Some people believe they have had alien implants inserted into their bodies. Typically, the subject also believes he or she is the victim of an alien abduction during which the surgery occurred. Claimed abilities of the implants range from mind control to location tracking (akin to humans tagging wild animals for study). This is called biotelemetry and it seems to have been applied within the MK-Ultra project, a secretive CIA mind-control research program. Many skeptics argue against the idea of alien implants for a number of reasons, such as a belief that alien abductions are made up or the result of ...

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Of the candidate systems of inductive logic, the most influential is Bayesianism, which uses probability theory as a framework for induction. Bayes theorem is used to calculate how much the strength of one’s belief in a hypothesis should change, given some evidence. There is debate around what it is that informs the original degree of belief. Objective Bayesians seek an objective value for the degree of probability of a hypothesis being correct, and so do not avoid the philosophical criticisms of objectivism. Subjective Bayesians ho ...

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Induction philosophy, Induction philosophy - Validity, Induction philosophy - Types of inductive reasoning, Induction philosophy - Bayesian inference

Read more here: » Induction philosophy: Encyclopedia II - Induction philosophy - Bayesian inference

Formal logic as most people learn it is deductive rather than inductive. Some philosophers claim to have created systems of inductive logic, but it is controversial whether a logic of induction is even possible. In contrast to deductive reasoning, conclusions arrived at by inductive reasoning do not necessarily have the same degree of certainty as the initial premises. For example, a conclusion that all swans are white is obviously wrong, but may have been thought correct in Europe until the settlement of Australia. Inductive arguments are n ...

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Induction philosophy, Induction philosophy - Validity, Induction philosophy - Types of inductive reasoning, Induction philosophy - Bayesian inference

Read more here: » Induction philosophy: Encyclopedia II - Induction philosophy - Validity

Angelo Espinosa was a former gang member from the Los Angeles area who faked his own death to leave that part of his life behind. Skin was one of four young mutants (including M, Husk, and Blink) abducted by the Phalanx, a techno-organic alien race. The reason behind the abductions was so that the Phalanx could uncover the secret behind their inability to assimilate mutants into their collective. Through their combined efforts and those of Banshee, Emma Frost, Sabretooth, Synch, and Jubilee, the four young mutants managed to escape their confines; although, Blink sacrificed herself by using her powers to dest ...

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Skin comics, Skin comics - History, Skin comics - Powers

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There have been some people who believe in the efficacy of tin-foil hats and similar devices. Reasons for use include preventing abduction by alien beings, or stopping unpleasant experiences such as hearing voices in one's head. This draws on the stereotypical image of mind control operating by means of ESP, microwave radiation or other technological means. In some cases, belief in tin-foil hats could ...

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Tin-foil hat, Tin-foil hat - Tin-foil hats and mental illness, Tin-foil hat - Scientific basis, Tin-foil hat - Tin-foil hats in pop culture

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Released in 1992 for the Amiga, Atari ST, and PC, Lure of the Temptress was a reasonable success and set the company up for their future successes. Still fondly remembered today, Revolution made the game Freeware on the 1st of April 2003. Their next game really created the companies reputation for high quality adventure games. Released in 1994, Beneath a Steel Sky became a major hit on the Amiga and PC. The game focused on protagonist Robert Foster's abduction and subsequent search for answers in a dystopian city of the ...

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Revolution Software, Revolution Software - Company history, Revolution Software - Games

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Inquiry - Theory of inquiry. For our present purposes, the first feature to note in distinguishing the three principal modes of reasoning from each other is whether each of them is exact or approximate in character. In this light, deduction is the only one the three types of reasoning that can be made exact, in essence, always deriving true conclusions from true premisses, while abduction and induction are unavoidably approximate in their modes of operation, involving elements of fallible judgment in practice and i ...

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Inquiry, Inquiry - Background, Inquiry - Theory of inquiry, Inquiry - Example of inquiry, Inquiry - Pragmatic theory of inquiry, Inquiry - Charles Peirce, Inquiry - John Dewey, Inquiry - Bibliography

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Sita is one of the principal characters of the "Ramayana", the Hindu epic named after her husband Rama. Sita was a foundling, discovered in a furrow in a ploughed field, and for that reason is regarded as a daughter of Bhumidevi, the Earth Goddess. She was found and adopted by Janaka, King of Mithila, and his wife Sunayana. Upon coming of age, a Swayamvara was held to select a suitable husband for her, and she was wed to Rama, prince of Ayodhya, an avatara of Vishnu. Sit ...

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Sita Devi, Sita Devi - Legend, Sita Devi - Exile and abduction, Sita Devi - Later life, Sita Devi - Significance, Sita Devi - Etymology of the name Sita, Sita Devi - Prophecies of Birth, Sita Devi - Vedavati, Sita Devi - Mandodari's daughter

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Extradition - International strains. The refusal for a country to extradite suspects or criminals to another may lead to international relations being strained. Often, the country to which extradition is refused will accuse the other country of refusing extradition for political reasons (whether or not this is justified). As an example: Some US journalists and officials of the state of Pennsylvania accused France of wanting to make a point about justice in the United States and the death penalty by r ...

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Extradition, Extradition - Extradition treaties or agreements, Extradition - Restrictions, Extradition - Exemptions in the European Union, Extradition - Extradition to federations, Extradition - Controversies, Extradition - International strains, Extradition - Extradition and abduction, Extradition - Extraordinary rendition, Extradition - Footnote, Extradition - External link

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Ernani - Act I. Mountains of Aragon. The bandits demand the reason for Ernani's gloom. (Chorus of bandits: "To you we drink"; and "Ernani, so gloomy? Why, oh strong one, does care sit on your brow?") Ernani replies (Recitative: "Thanks, dear friends"; Cavatina: "As the flower turns to the sun") that he loves Elvira, who is to be led unwillingly to the altar by old Gomez de Silva. He asks the bandits to abduct her. Change of scene: Elvira's apartment. (Scene: "Now sinks the sun and Silva does not return"; Cavatina ...

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Ernani, Ernani - Characters, Ernani - Plot, Ernani - Act I, Ernani - Act II, Ernani - Act III, Ernani - Act IV, Ernani - Noted arias

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Formal logic as most people learn it is deductive rather than inductive. Some philosophers claim to have created systems of inductive logic, but it is controversial whether a logic of induction is even possible. In contrast to deductive reasoning, conclusions arrived at by inductive reasoning do not necessarily have the same degree of certainty as the initial assumptions. For example, a conclusion that all swans are white is obviously wrong, but may have been thought correct in Europe until the settlement of Australia. Inductive arguments ar ...

See also:

Induction philosophy, Induction philosophy - Validity, Induction philosophy - Types of inductive reasoning, Induction philosophy - Bayesian inference

Read more here: » Induction philosophy: Encyclopedia II - Induction philosophy - Validity

Alien

An intelligent extraterrestrial being; of extraterrestrial origin; non-human. A visitor from another planet, another world or dimension.

Eyewitnesses report a number of different types of alien creatures; in fact, they vary in almost every imaginable way. These reports have been around for centuries, but the number of sightings have increase dramatically since the first flying saucers were seen in the late 1940's. And the aliens come in a baffling variety of shapes and sizes. Surprisingly, however, the aliens themselves are not so very different from human beings - most have two arms, two legs, and one head. For this reason some ufologists doubt their existence: surely, they say, visitors from outer space would not look so much like ourselves.

The late Carl Sagan , astronomer and author of ' The Cosmic Connection: An Extraterrestrial Perspective ', believes that the aliens sighted were "stodgy in their unimaginativeness" and were hence the inhabitants of human minds, not extraterrestrial spaceships. But whatever the experts may say, close encounters of the third kind continue to be reported till this day. See alien abductions, alien autopsy, men in black, UFO, area 51, flying saucer, grays.

(See also: Alien, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

The philosopher Charles Peirce introduced abduction into modern logic. In his works before 1900, he mostly uses the term to mean the use of a known rule to explain an observation, e.g., “if it rains the grass is wet” is a known rule used to explain that the grass is wet. He later used the term to mean creating new rules to explain new observations, emphasising that abduction is the only logical process that actually creates anything new. Namely, he described the process of science as a combination of abduction, deduction and implicati ...

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Abductive reasoning, Abductive reasoning - Logic-based Abduction, Abductive reasoning - Set-Cover Abduction, Abductive reasoning - History of the concept, Abductive reasoning - Applications

Read more here: » Abductive reasoning: Encyclopedia II - Abductive reasoning - History of the concept