Cover Image
QR Code

THE STUDY OF INFERENCE IN PHILOSOPHY AND COMPARATIVE PSYCHOLOGY.

I compare the study of inference in some philosophical and psychological traditions, and I make three general points. First, I suggest that in both human and non-human animals, inference is a means by which subjects aim to achieve an accurate and coherent representation of the world. Second, I conte...

Full description

Published in:Crítica Vol. 58; no. 172; pp. 127 - 158
Main Author: MELIS, GIACOMO
Format: Article
Published: Instituto de Investigaciones Filosoficas abr2026
Subjects:
Inference (Logic)
Comparative psychology
Judgment (Psychology)
Logic
Empirical research
Critical thinking
Modern philosophy
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Summary:I compare the study of inference in some philosophical and psychological traditions, and I make three general points. First, I suggest that in both human and non-human animals, inference is a means by which subjects aim to achieve an accurate and coherent representation of the world. Second, I contend that philosophical work on rational dispositions and empirical research on reasoning helps to outline an unreflective notion of taking the premises to support the conclusion. Third, I claim that paying attention to the distinction between logic and reasoning is important to fine-tune the standards for the observation of deductive reasoning in empirical research.
Comparo el estudio de la inferencia en algunas tradiciones filosóficas y psicológicas a fin de extraer tres conclusiones generales. Primero, sugiero que, tanto en humanos como en animales no humanos, la inferencia es un medio por el cual los sujetos buscan alcanzar una representación precisa y coherente del mundo. Segundo, sostengo que la labor filosófica sobre disposiciones racionales y la investigación empírica sobre el razonamiento contribuyen a delinear una noción no reflexiva de tomar las premisas como respaldo de la conclusión. Tercero, afirmo que atender a la distinción entre lógica y razonamiento es importante para afinar los parámetros de observación del razonamiento deductivo en la investigación empírica.