The logic of reliable inquiry
By: Kevin T. Kelly.
Series: Logic and computation in philosophy
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 1996
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 434
Subjects: Research -- Methodology; Research -- Evaluation; Logic, Symbolic and mathematical; Cognitive learning theory
Description: There are many proposed aims for scientific inquiry - to explain or predict events, to confirm or falsify hypotheses, or to find hypotheses that cohere with our other beliefs in some logical or probabilistic sense. This book is devoted to a different proposal - that the logical structure of the scientist's method should guarantee eventual arrival at the truth, given the scientist's background assumptions.

Interest in this methodological property, called "logical reliability," stems from formal learning theory, which draws its insights not from the theory of probability, but from the theory of computability. Kelly first offers an accessible explanation of formal learning theory, then goes on to develop and explore a systematic framework in which various standard learning-theoretic results can be seen as special cases of simpler and more general considerations.

Finally, Kelly clarifies the relationship between the resulting framework and other standard issues in the philosophy of science, such as probability, causation, and relativism. Extensively illustrated with figures by the author, The Logic of Reliable Inquiry assumes only introductory knowledge of basic logic and computability theory. It is a major contribution to the literature and will be essential reading for scientists, statiticians, psychologists, linguists, logicians, and philosophers.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 413-418) and indexes.