Inductivism

A false theory of Knowledge that asserts that repetition begets certainty, that more repetitions increase the probability that something is true, and that the future will resemble the past.

Observations remain theory-laden — you cannot derive explanations from data alone. No amount of observation can justify a universal claim. Knowledge grows through Conjecture and Criticism, not generalization from instances.

Connections

• •Refuted by Critical Rationalism — knowledge starts with conjectures, not observations
• •Related to Empiricism and Bayesian Epistemology — variants of the same error
• •A form of Foundationalism — observations as the foundation
• •Related to Justificationism — both seek certainty from the wrong source
• •Ignores that Evidence is theory-laden
• •Underlies Behaviorism — treating people as stimulus-response machines
• •Probability does not rescue inductivism from its logical flaws