Induction

Overview

Enumerative induction, or induction, is a method used to draw a conclusion based on some supporting observed pattern.

For example, take the inductive inference, "Every cloud that I have observed has been white. Therefore, all clouds must be white." This inference is using some observed pattern, namely, that all the clouds the observer has seen have been white, to draw some larger conclusion that all clouds must be white. Notably, induction doesn't need to draw a true conclusion – it is simply a method of reasoning that is used to draw some conclusion. You could easily draw a false conclusion through induction, like, "every cat I have observed has been black. Therefore, all cats must be black." Perhaps this observer has only seen black cats in their life, but clearly, this does not mean that all cats must be black! Philosophically, induction is an interesting construct. We use induction all the time in our daily lives, yet logically speaking, we do not have certainty that our inductive practices will be true. Despite this, when making arguments, we use induction and commonly accept such arguments as reasonable. Without induction, of course, it would hard to be make progress living our lives. After all, induction is, in a sense, the way that we make predictions about the future! We take some observed pattern from the past and apply it to draw a conclusion about what future events hold. At the same time, however, induction does present a logical problem when trying to construct robust, philosophical arguments, as will be highlighted in the below section.