Hans Reichenbach's vindication of induction
pp. 99-122
in: Wolfgang Spohn (ed), Erkenntnis orientated, Berlin, Springer, 1991Abstract
Hans Reichenbach believed that he had solved Hume's problem of the justification of induction, but his arguments have not proved persuasive to most other philosophers. The majority of those who addressed the problem held, for one reason or another, that it is a pseudo-problem. In a number of articles during the 1950s and 1960s I tried to refute this position.1 I still believe it is incorrect — that the problem of justification of induction is a genuine and profoundly important problem — but I shall not rehearse that issue here. In this article I shall first discuss Reichenbach's justification and the problems confronting it. I shall then consider other attempts at vindication that in one way or another pursue a similar goal. In the end, I shall maintain, Reichenbach's program can succeed, given certain additional considerations, a crucial one of which is found in his own writings.
