Jon Williamson, Professor of Reasoning, inference and Scientific Method in the Department of Philosophy, has recently published a new book entitled Lectures in Inductive Logic (Oxford University Press, 2017).

Logic is a field studied mainly by researchers and students of philosophy, mathematics and computing. Inductive logic seeks to determine the extent to which the premisses of an argument entail its conclusion, aiming to provide a theory of how one should reason in the face of uncertainty. It has applications to decision making and artificial intelligence, as well as how scientists should reason when not in possession of the full facts.

In this book, Professor Williamson embarks on a quest to find a general, reasonable, applicable inductive logic (GRAIL), examining why pioneers such as Ludwig Wittgenstein and Rudolf Carnap did not entirely succeed in this task.

He presents a general framework for the field, and reaches a new inductive logic, which builds upon recent developments in Bayesian epistemology (a theory about how strongly one should believe the various propositions that one can express). The book explores this logic in detail, discusses some key criticisms, and considers how it might be justified. Is this truly the GRAIL?

For more details about the book, please see the publisher’s page.