New Books Network Kenneth Aizawa, "Compositional Abduction and Scientific Interpretation: A Granular Approach" (Cambridge UP, 2025)
Jan 10, 2026
Kenneth Aizawa, a Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University–Newark, dives into the intriguing world of scientific reasoning in his latest work. He explores how scientists infer unobservable entities to explain observable phenomena, using the examples of Watson and Crick’s DNA findings and Hodgkin and Huxley’s ion research. Aizawa argues for 'singular compositional abduction' as a unique inferential practice. He emphasizes that this form of abduction not only proposes hypotheses but also confirms them through detailed examination of scientific practices.
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Compositional Explanation In Hodgkin–Huxley
- Hodgkin and Huxley explained a recorded axon current by positing unseen lower-level parts like sodium ions and membrane permeability changes.
- Compositional explanation links an intra-level experiment's outcome to microscopic entities that generate it.
Famous Historical Examples
- Aizawa cites Van 't Hoff's stereochemistry and Watson seeing Franklin's Photo 51 as compositional abduction examples.
- These historical episodes show scientists inferring unseen structures from specific experimental results.
Explanation Confers Confirmation
- Aizawa defines abduction as the explanans gaining confirmation from its role explaining an observed result.
- Scientists treat the act of explaining an observation as providing evidence for the proposed unobservables.
