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Where is the Limit to Abduction's Explanatory Power?
2013
Res Cogitans
Abduction, also known as, inference to the best explanation, is employed in factual and normative inquiry. In this paper, I answer the question: where is the limit to abduction's explanatory power? To answer this question, I examine Hobbes's Leviathan and Descartes's Discourse on Method. I compare Hobbes's empirical beliefs about human psychology and Descartes's micro mechanical explanations with Hobbes's discussion of religion. As a result of this analysis, I argue that there is at least one
doi:10.7710/2155-4838.1079
fatcat:zzigpybuznd27bilt5busx6aha