On inductive support and some recent tricks

This paper is about some aspects of induction. The tricks come only at the end, where the Popper-Miller proof of the impossibility of inductive probability is analysed. In the first section inductive inference is placed in the broader perspective of pattern recognition and reasoning by analogy. Newton’s derivation of his law of gravity furnishes a good illustration. The second section is concerned with the role of subjective probability. In particular, we show what can happen in a methodology of science which denies this role in scientific research. Another short observation concerns the concept of empirical content; finally, some points are made concerning the probabilities of universal generalizations which cover a potential infinity of cases. The third section focuses on simple inductive generalizations. The fourth section is concerned with the problem of expressing inductive support by quantitative probabilities.