ABSTRACT
According to the norms of induction and deduction, the ‘validity’ of a hypothesis is judged based on the structure of the argument alone. However, Charles Sanders Peirce suggested abduction logic as an alternative to the formal logics. Abduction offers an eco-logic, in which thinking is evaluated relative to its coupling with the ecology or the world of matter. In the context of abduction, Peirce referred to this difference as ‘surprise.’ In any case, the abduction system is typically designed so that over time, error is reduced. In essence, abduction logic is a kind of learning by doing, where hypotheses are generated as a result of assimilation of past experiences, tested in the context of actions, and revised through accommodative processes associated with the feedback from those actions. The accommodation dynamic reflects a kind of negative feedback—that is, the abduction system adjusts its beliefs as a function of the difference between what it expected and the actual consequences that occurred.
