“Behindology” at Language Log
Written on February 17, 2008
An excellent post by Mark Liberman at Language Log on “Behindology” (Italian “dietrologia” “the attempt to trump even the most fanciful and contorted conspiracy theory“) is jam-packed with ideas about reasoning and interpretations in everyday life.
An excerpt:
The mode of reasoning in dietrologia is abduction: inference to the best explanation. Abduction is a good thing — it’s a key component of the machinery of science — so why does abduction here lead to “fanciful and contorted” theories? There seem to be two problems: a lack of effective coupling to the friction and inertia of fact, and an excessive value placed on indirect and even counter-intuitive explanations.
Later on:
But our inferences about the beliefs, goals and intentions of others are seriously underdetermined by their actions and statements. And those of us who think we’re more insightful than average may just be more imaginative.
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