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To: thinktwice
In mathematics, the method used to extend one's understanding of a finite truth into an infinite, universal truth is called "Proof by induction."

Yes, but induction is problematic in the real world because a great many real world problems do not trivially reduce to an algebraic function or similar that people will readily accept as axiomatic. It works in mathematics because there is generally universal acceptance of the axioms and their derivatives. In the real world the selection of the axioms themselves are major points of contention.

This is the reason most useful reasoning mechanisms in the real world don't really require the implicit assertion of additional axioms and definitions beyond the underlying mathematics e.g. first order logic and Bayes theorem. It is hard do induction when the assertion being proved is not grounded in rock-solid axioms.

554 posted on 05/26/2003 1:02:01 PM PDT by tortoise
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To: tortoise
. It is hard do induction when the assertion being proved is not grounded in rock-solid axioms.

It's not hard to do--it's all to easy to do. It's just really, really hard on us, from time to time, when we entirely trust the results.

558 posted on 05/26/2003 1:15:34 PM PDT by donh (/)
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To: tortoise
In the real world the selection of the axioms themselves are major points of contention.

Focusing on reality works, nothing else makes sense.

560 posted on 05/26/2003 1:25:20 PM PDT by thinktwice
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