inference

<logic> 1. The logical process by which new facts are derived from known facts by the application of inference rules.

See also symbolic inference, type inference.

[FOLDOC]

2. A series of wffs or propositions in which some (called premises) support another (called the conclusion); also the act of concluding the conclusion from the premises.

See deduction, derivation, induction, proof

[Glossary of First-Order Logic]

<logic, philosophy of science> the relationship that holds between the premises and the conclusion of a logical argument, or the process of drawing a conclusion from premises that support it deductively or inductively. Recommended Reading: Henry E. Kyburg, Jr., Epistemology and Inference (Minnesota, 1982); D. S. Clarke, Jr., Practical Inferences (Routledge, 1985); Robert B. Brandom, Articulating Reasons: An Introduction to Inferentialism (Harvard, 2000); K.I. Manktelow, Inference and Understanding: A Philosophical and Psychological Perspective (Routledge, 1990); and Inference, Explanation, and Other Frustrations: Essays in the Philosophy of Science, ed. by John Earman (California, 1992).

[A Dictionary of Philosophical Terms and Names]

<2002-1-18>

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Nearby terms: inductive inference « inductive relation « ineffable « inference » inference engine » inference rule » inference to the best explanation