Open AccessThe Availability Heuristic and Inference to the Best Explanation
Author(s) -
Michael Shaffer
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
logos and episteme
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.334
H-Index - 5
eISSN - 2069-3052
pISSN - 2069-0533
DOI - 10.5840/logos-episteme201910437
Subject(s) - inference , heuristic , computer science , epistemology , artificial intelligence , mathematical economics , philosophy , mathematics
This paper shows how the availability heuristic can be used to justify inference to the best explanation in such a way that van Fraassen's infamous "best of a bad lot" objection can be adroitly avoided. With this end in mind, a dynamic and contextual version of the erotetic model of explanation sufficient to ground this response is presented and defended.