Raven Paradox Essay

1300 Words3 Pages

I will explain Hempel’s Raven Paradox in regards to the way it effects the philosophical project of making sense of how science works and its problems of induction. I will address and explain Hempel’s Raven Paradox, I will also demonstrate how the Raven Paradox works in regards to science. I will explain what a strong inductive argument is, what a weak inductive argument is, what induction is and how that effects making sense of how science works, within this I will explain what deduction is as well so there will be a knowledge of the meaning of both induction and deduction in finer detail. I will use the example of the Paradox and it’s proposed questions within the process of generalisation and falsifiability. I will also use examples derived from other philosophers view on induction from my readings of their work.

The “traditional problem of induction” was having the ability to actually justify the induction. This is because to show induction works, (normally universal induction leads in this), from the premises being true to the conclusions being true. Induction is the process of observing particular instances of a general law or principle and inferring it, as opposed to deduction. For example you can say that
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if all F are X, and all X are G then all F are also G this is the same as saying if all X are G, and all G are F then all X are also F
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This creates what is known as an inductively strong argument. Inductive reasoning is when the premises aim to supply strong evidence to find the truth of the conclusion. A deductive argument is definite truth where as a inductive argument is probable truth based on the known information/evidence. An inductive...

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...e as it does help to make sense of issues seen within science in a philosophical manner. There is a few places within science like when a theory has to be exact before being put into practice because if it isn’t consequences could be drastic, it is things like this where the Paradox isn’t useful as such because it needs the finer details. If anything Hempel’s Raven Paradox is an asset to science in figuring out its philosophical projects of making sense of it all, the paradox offers an easy explanation of way of notating many theories and hypothesises that would be hard/near impossible to obtain the information required to disprove it. It also offers a way to use this so it can be put into physical practice within science. Hempel’s Raven Paradox does have effect in the sense of the way of making science work, it isn’t drastic but does still effect it in its own way.

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