Aristotle on induction and deduction

• Grant number: 10/04563-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: August 01, 2010
• End date: February 29, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Philosophy - Logic
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Henrique Lopes dos Santos
• Grantee: Tomás Roberto Troster
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Our subject is the Aristotelian conceptions of induction (epagogé) and deduction (syllogism), their forms of operation and their logical connexions. We want to show that while deduction / syllogism is the only legitimate way of drawing inferences on an abstract level, it has no value for science if not based on universal premises, reached by induction. To date, inductive reasoning is criticized by lack of heuristic power. However, Aristotle had already pointed out the impossibility of vindicating all the assumptions of scientific discourse and therefore the nullity of an (im)possible "complete deduction". (AU)