Knowledge Science - Natural and Artificial Reasoning - page 48

involves the generation of a suppressed premise (retroduction) and its validation
(induction as defined here).
On the view of Addis et al. ( 1993 ) validation and thus the induction of a hypoth-
esis should involve the assessing the utility or viability of the hypothesis, given a
particular purpose. Closed induction validates by comparing the inferred results with
an established model (e.g. the null hypothesis in statistics).
Induction, as I have defined here, takes on three categories of criteria:

• sample,

• continuity, and

• prediction.

For example, the 'sample' criteria is concerned with testing a hypothesis against a
set of examples (which may be finite or infinite).
The validation of a hypothesis through its ability to make predictions (that is,
to reduce the apparent entropy of the given set with respect to a set of classes; it
infers an order in the state of affairs) is well defined for a finite set. Validation of an
infinite set given only a finite set of examples must make some assumptions about
the stability of the infinite set's properties.

4.2.4.3 Deduction

Deduction is valid through formal proof. It is the process of inferring conclusions
that must follow from the premises; it preserves Truth. Truth here is an abstract
property assigned to the propositions and their Truth-value (True or False) may not
necessarily relate to the world. Closed deduction uses known (i.e. pre-determined)
solutions.

4.3 Intelligent Inference

Within this framework we define as 'intelligent' any system that has the capacity
to use all three forms of inference (abduction, induction and deduction) together
(NB. Abstraction and Retroduction are classed together as Abduction in this defini-
tion 1 ). Intelligent processes typically keep these forms in tension. The dynamics are
more complex than the logical dialectic of 'generation' and 'testing' as studies of
knowledge-creation processes in a science show. The characteristic of knowledge-
creation processes has been shown to be changing continually (Gooding 1992 ;
Pickering 1989 ; Tweney 1985 ; Tweney and Gooding 1992 ).
The main cycle of activity may be described as follows (also see Table 4.2 ):

1 It is not clear to the author if the process of Abstraction is necessary for some kind of 'pure'
intelligence where the elements of the world are given or predefined.