Sir Isaac Newton stated that inductive reasoning, from
observed instances of a law to the truth of that law, was
the basis for science. And he showed how to derive his
universal law of gravity by means of such reasoning.
Many scientists and methodologists since the time of
Newton have rejected this form of reasoning, claiming that
it is invalid, or that scientists don't use such reasoning
or that, when they do, the mode of reasoning is much more
complex than Newton and other "inductivists" ever imagined.
For two days this week, the Johns Hopkins Center for
History and Philosophy of Science will host a conference
called the War on Induction to examine various arguments
that have been raised against inductive generalization by
contemporary and historical figures in philosophy and the
sciences. The event was designed to be of interest not only
to philosophers and historians of science but also to those
interested in foundational questions about reasoning in the
social and natural sciences, as well as in mathematical
statistics.
Peter Achinstein, the conference organizer, will
defend Newton's ideas about induction against attacks in
the 19th and 20th centuries. John Norton, of the
University of Pittsburgh, will discuss how induction works
without the use of probabilities. Frank Arntzenius, of
Rutgers, will examine the notorious "grue" paradox that is
raised against inductive reasoning. Deborah Mayo, of
Virginia Tech, will examine three different approaches to
inductive reasoning in statistics. And Gilbert Harman, of
Princeton, will discuss philosophical morals about
induction from statistical learning theory.
The commentators for the presentations include Michael
Williams, of Johns Hopkins; Michael Weisberg, of the
University of Pennsylvania; John Roberts, of the University
of North Carolina; and three philosophers of science who
received their PhD's from Johns Hopkins with Achinstein:
Richard Richards, of the University of Alabama; Fred Kronz,
of the University of Texas; and Kent Staley, of St. Louis
University.
The conference will take place from 9 a.m. to 5:30
p.m. on Friday, March 23, and continue on Saturday morning.
It will be held in the auditorium of the Space Telescope
Institute on the Homewood campus.
For more information, contact Victor Di Fate at vdifate1@jhu.edu or
Peter Achinstein at
peter.achinstein@jhu.edu.
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