Forms of Argumentation in Science. Conjectures and Trials, Abduction and Preduction
Keywords:
abduction, argumentation, conjectures, hypothesis, imagination, preduction, scientific argumentation, scientific method, theoretical explanation, trialsCopyright (c) 2024 Revista Iberoamericana de Argumentación
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Abstract
The aim of this article is to present the two main forms of argument that science uses in order to achieve its objectives of innovation and explanation. These are abduction and preduction, which I illustrate with examples from physics. But I also highlight the use of conjectures and trials as a way that shows the strength of imagination in science. In particular, I emphasize the dialogic nature of abduction when it makes possible the substitution or complementation of previous hypotheses, where it takes the form of a macroargument at the service of scientific discovery.
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