Hostname: page-component-74656f9884-npj9w Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-07T09:00:03.889Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
Accepted manuscript

Peirce, Abduction, and Inverse Problems in the Geosciences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 July 2026

Alisa Bokulich*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, Boston University, Email: abokulic@bu.edu
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Accessibility of Accepted Manuscripts

Accepted Manuscripts are early, peer-reviewed versions that have not yet been copyedited, typeset, or formally published and may not meet all accessibility standards. A fully formatted accessible version will follow.

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the 'Save PDF' action button.

Charles Peirce’s most well-known contribution to logic and scientific methodology is his account of abduction. However, what exactly Peirce meant by abduction is subject to perennial dispute. My aim in this paper is two-fold: First, I interpret Peirce’s abduction through the lens of his research in geophysics and argue this supports interpreting it as a kind of inverse modeling. Second, I show that the methods Peirce outlined for managing the underdetermination of abductive inferences are the same as those deployed by geoscientists to manage the nonuniqueness of geophysical inversions. I conclude by emphasizing the value of reintegrating Peirce-the-Philosopher with Peirce-the-Geoscientist.

Information

Type
Symposia Paper
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Philosophy of Science Association