Re: (green+blue=grue) a sum of individuals is an individual - Nelson Goodman

"Immortalist" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> When are we warranted to say that a generalization has been confirmed by its
> instances? How are past observation and prediction of the future related?
>
>
We are never warranted to say that a generalization has been confirmed by the observed 
instances, if by that we mean any more then
the generalization accounts for all the known cases.  In science we do make working 
hypotheses that all future cases will also
conform, but scientists know that finding counter-cases will render the working 
hypothesis weak, requiring a new, modified,
generalization.  You're only as good as your last performance.

Any relationship between past and future depends on assumptions about the consistency 
of 'nature' which are comforting but
unprovable.  Pragmatically, life goes better when you assume the future will be pretty 
much like the past; therefore, that's the
working assumption.  That could change, tomorrow it may be more useful to assume that 
trends never last, if that happens we humans
will notice and try new assumptions.  Go with what works; especially since what works 
is, in the end, an aesthetic judgement.  It
boils down to 'if it feels good, do it'.

Ed