First Look at Deduction, Induction, Abduction
Channel: Math 4 Wisdom
Date: 2023-10-26

What are deduction, induction and abduction?  Aslam Kakar and Andrius Kulikauskas contemplate these modes of reasoning distinguished by American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce, a founder of pragmatism.

This is a meeting of the Math 4 Wisdom Sociology Study Group recorded on October 14, 2023.  In a subsequent meeting, two weeks later, we return to these modes of reasoning, understanding them better.

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0:45 Aslam Kakar is studying three modes of reasoning - induction, deduction, abduction - as distinguished by American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914). 
1:50 Induction. Aslam describes induction and asks, How do you observe things without a framework ahead of time? We have preconceived theories.
4:45 Deduction. Conclusion based from principles.
5:25 Abduction. Focusing on finding the best possible explanation. Part of an iterative process.
6:45 The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy gives two definitions of abduction. Peirce's original definition is the generation of a hypothesis. The modern definition is the justification of the hypothesis, "inference to the best explanation".
8:45 Wikipedia on "abductive reasoning" discusses mostly Peirce's definition. It defines deduction, induction, abduction.
13:35 Andrius relates this to Peirce's three kinds of sign: icon, index, symbol.
15:50 Four levels of knowledge: Whether, what, how, why.
16:50 The foursome has two conceptions. An idealist thinks in terms of questions: Why? How? What? Whether? and Why? is the most important. A materialist thinks in terms of answers: Whether! What! How! Why! and Whether! is most important.  Peirce's classification of signs bridges these two conceptions.
17:40 The predictive power of Andrius's "wondrous wisdom". The foursome indicates that alongside Peirce's three kinds of sign there needs to be a fourth level, evidently, the thing itself.  Similarly with the five concepts in "Social Theory: A Basic Tool Kit", there should be a sixth concept, Vision.
18:25 Science needs to be inductive, deductive and abductive. According to wondrous wisdom, there are three minds.  Andrius references Daniel Kahneman, "Thinking, Fast and Slow".  System 1 is the mind that thinks fast, System 2 is the mind that thinks slow, and there should be a System 3 (Consciousness) that relates the other two.
20:40  System 1 is the source of observations, thus induction takes us from System 1 to System 2.  System 2 creates the conceptual language within which we have deduction.  Andrius supposes that abduction leverages and applies the conceptual model back out into the world of facts.  The latter corresponds with the neurological fact that our brain projects our models back out into the world, predictively.
22:15 Aslam asks whether abduction prioritizes the conceptual mind over the sensory mind?  Andrius explains (this is perhaps wrong!) that abduction applies the concepts that we believe we know to the observations that we are making.  And then Andrius dubiously relates deduction, abduction, induction in terms of the learning three-cycle. He claims that deduction = taking a stand, abduction = following through, induction = reflecting.  Abduction assumes the system, induction allows you to question the system, deduction has you bolt the system down.
25:30 Aslam asks if any one of those three modes of reasoning was precarious? Andrius explains that in a three-cycle they are all equally important.  Andrius also relates them to the unconscious (System 1), the conscious (System 2) and consciousness (System 3). 
26:50 Andrius hypothesizes that the consciousness applies abduction and it can use it to apply and entrench prejudices. We do abduction consciously. Can we do it unconsciously?
27:30 Andrius and Aslam discuss the next meeting with the whole group on October 26. Does society deduce, induce and abduce?
28:20 Aslam will read "Peirce's Theory of Abduction" by K.T.Fann.
28:45 Andrius prays for our friends and people in Israel and Palestine.

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