A Research On Cohen's Theory Of Inductive Support

The first section of the essay analyzes the backgrounds on which Cohen's theory of inductive support is founded.One background is that Carnap's and Popper's theories on scientific test were confronted with overwhelming difficulties.The inductive logics of Pascal's probability,which sprang up for the introduction of probability,make great contributions to quantative description,but they cherish considerable drawbacks.Especially, Carnap's function of confirmation does so;while the theory of falsification put forward on the issue by Popper undoutedly means overturning the logic of induction.Just based on criticizing the inductive logics of Pascal's probability,especially Carnap's theory of confirmation and Popper's theory of falsification,Cohen advanced his theory of inductive support.The other background is the logic of local induction ,which came forth for the solution of the Hume problem.The failure to solve this problem shows that the problem can not be solved wholy in the framework of logic and this demands a new way to justify the induction locally from the aspect of methodology.Thus an idea of local induction appeared and Cohen's theory of inductive support is both its main offsping and its main representative.The second section presents the main contents of Cohen's theory of inductive support .To begin with,Cohen defines the core concept inductive support:he regards it as the support an evidence gives to a hypothesis and as based on the scientific experimental test rather than the intuition. Wherefore, he criticizes the intuitive feature of Carnap's inductive logic and thus reestablishes the empirical foundations of inductive logic.What to be involved then is how to evaluate the inductive support.Cohen insists that the standard of evaluating the inductive support is a hypothesis's ability to resist falsification,which is similar with Popper's idea that an evidence can only falsify a hypothesis;the corresponding method is the method of relevant variables he brought forward,which is a tentative ,though not too successfulattempt to rebuild Bacon's induction by elimilation.What evaluates the inductive support of a compound hypothesis is the logical syntax of inductive support-gradings,whose function is to work out the inductive support grade of a compound hypothesis according to that of two single ones;its main principles are the conjunction principle and the nagation one,whose main characteristic is its distinct non-Pascal feature.The third section expounds the main significances of Cohen's theory of inductive support .The theory overcomes the shortcomings of Carnap's theory of confirmation to a degree,such as ignoring the difference of evidences' effectiveness,the priori of Carnap's theory,the inability to cope with the problems of anormalies and parodoxes;it describes unitely the induction by elimilation,especially it subsumes Mill's five canons under the method of relevant variables,which makes different forms of inductions by elimilation appear as a unite system;futhermore,it again emphasizes that the induction is not a method,but a logic .which reradicates the induction's logical status and makes a justification for the logic of induction.The fouth section explores the main flaws of Cohen's theory of inductive support and the tentative develpoements and modifications aimed at it.lts main flaws consist in that it neglects the enumerative induction;the method of relevant variables rebuilding the induction by elimilation is not appropriat;it can not dispose the comparation of the inductive support in different sets of relevant variables either.Therefore, Cohen's theory of inductive support must be modified from improving on the method of relevant variables and redefining the function of inductive support and the precursor Ju Shi-er has constituted the theory of a hypothesis's inductive reliability on this basis;morever,we must pay attention to formalizing the enumerative induction and enhance the logical level of the theory ,make it transform from the extension-type to the connotation-type.