abduction
Meaning: In logic, a form of reasoning that infers the most likely explanation for an observation, sometimes called 'inference to the best explanation.' Also, the unlawful taking away of a person by force or deception.
Abductive reasoning, as formalised by the American philosopher C. S. Peirce, occupies a middle ground between deduction (which guarantees its conclusions) and induction (which generalises from patterns). A detective observing a broken window and missing jewellery abduces a burglary — the explanation is not certain but is the most plausible. In medicine, differential diagnosis relies heavily on abduction. The word's other common meaning — kidnapping — is etymologically related but belongs to a different domain entirely. In anatomy, abduction refers to movement away from the body's midline.
Examples
- Abduction, or inference to the best explanation, is the form of reasoning most commonly used in medical diagnosis. 溯因推理,即最佳解释推理,是医学诊断中最常用的推理形式。La abducción, o inferencia de la mejor explicación, es la forma de razonamiento más empleada en el diagnóstico médico.アブダクション、すなわち最良の説明への推論は、医学的診断で最も一般的に用いられる推論形式である。귀추법, 즉 최선의 설명에 대한 추론은 의학적 진단에서 가장 일반적으로 사용되는 추론 형식이다.
- Peirce distinguished abduction from both deduction and induction, arguing that it is the creative engine of scientific hypothesis. 皮尔斯将溯因推理与演绎和归纳区分开来,认为它是科学假说的创造性引擎。Peirce distinguió la abducción tanto de la deducción como de la inducción, argumentando que es el motor creativo de la hipótesis científica.パースはアブダクションを演繹と帰納の両方から区別し、それが科学的仮説の創造的原動力であると論じた。퍼스는 귀추법을 연역과 귀납 모두와 구별하며, 그것이 과학적 가설의 창조적 원동력이라고 주장했다.
- The detective's abduction from the available evidence — that the fire had been deliberately set — proved correct when forensic analysis confirmed the presence of accelerant. 侦探从现有证据中推断出——火灾是人为纵火——当法医分析证实存在助燃剂时,这一推断被证明是正确的。La abducción del detective a partir de las pruebas disponibles — que el incendio había sido provocado deliberadamente — resultó correcta cuando el análisis forense confirmó la presencia de acelerante.利用可能な証拠から火災が意図的に放たれたものであるという探偵の推論は、法医学分析が着火促進剤の存在を確認したことで正しいと判明した。이용 가능한 증거로부터 화재가 고의로 방화되었다는 탐정의 추론은, 법의학 분석이 촉진제의 존재를 확인하면서 올바른 것으로 판명되었다.
Pronunciation
Usage Guide
Context: academic, scientific, legal
Tone: neutral
Origin & History
From Latin abductionem, from abducere (to lead away), from ab- (away) + ducere (to lead). The logical sense was introduced by C. S. Peirce in the late 19th century; the criminal sense is older.
Cultural Context
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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