[Inquiry] Re: Introduction to Inquiry Driven Systems

[Jon Awbrey]

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INT.  Note 23

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2.2.3.  Inquiry (cont.)

Figure 3 gives a graphical illustration of Dewey's example of inquiry,
isolating for the purposes of the present analysis the first two steps
in the more extended proceedings that go to make up the whole inquiry.

o-----------------------------------------------------------o
|                                                           |
|     A                                               D     |
|      o                                             o      |
|       \ *                                       * /       |
|        \  *                                   *  /        |
|         \   *                               *   /         |
|          \    *                           *    /          |
|           \     *                       *     /           |
|            \   R u l e             R u l e   /            |
|             \       *               *       /             |
|              \        *           *        /              |
|               \         *       *         /               |
|                \          * B *          /                |
|              F a c t        o        F a c t              |
|                  \          *          /                  |
|                   \         *         /                   |
|                    \        *        /                    |
|                     \       *       /                     |
|                      \   C a s e   /                      |
|                       \     *     /                       |
|                        \    *    /                        |
|                         \   *   /                         |
|                          \  *  /                          |
|                           \ * /                           |
|                            \*/                            |
|                             o                             |
|                             C                             |
|                                                           |
| A  =  the Air is cool                                     |
| B  =  just Before it rains                                |
| C  =  the Current situation                               |
| D  =  a Dark cloud appears                                |
|                                                           |
| A is a major term                                         |
| B is a middle term                                        |
| C is a minor term                                         |
| D is a major term, associated with A                      |
|                                                           |
o-----------------------------------------------------------o
Figure 3.  Dewey's "Rainy Day" Inquiry

In this analysis of the first steps of Inquiry,
we have a complex or a mixed form of inference
that can be seen as taking place in two steps:

1.  The first step is an Abduction that abstracts a Case
    from the consideration of a Fact and a Rule.

    Fact:  C => A,  In the Current situation the Air is cool.
    Rule:  B => A,  Just Before it rains, the Air is cool.
    Case:  C => B,  The Current situation is just Before it rains.

2.  The final step is a Deduction that admits this Case
    to another Rule and so arrives at a novel Fact.

    Case:  C => B,  The Current situation is just Before it rains.
    Rule:  B => D,  Just Before it rains, a Dark cloud will appear.
    Fact:  C => D,  In the Current situation, a Dark cloud will appear.

This is nowhere near a complete analysis of the Rainy Day inquiry,
even insofar as it might be carried out within the constraints of
the syllogistic framework, and it covers only the first two steps
of the relevant inquiry process, but maybe it will do for a start.

One last thing ought to be noticed here, the formal duality
between this portion of inquiry and the argument by analogy.

Jon Awbrey

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