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Commens
Digital Companion to C. S. Peirce
‘Retroduction’ (pub. 12.03.13-19:10). Quote in M. Bergman & S. Paavola (Eds.), The Commens Dictionary: Peirce's Terms in His Own Words. New Edition. Retrieved from http://www.commens.org/dictionary/entry/quote-letter-j-h-kehler-4.
Term: 
Retroduction
Quote: 

Skipping a great deal, I now take up the third great class of Reasonings, which I call Retroductions. [—] By the third class of reasonings one only infers that a certain state of things may be true and that the indications of its being so are sufficient to warrant further examination. [—] The reason for accepting the Retroductive conclusion, is that man must trust to his power of getting at the truth simply because it is all he has to guide him; and moreover when we look at the instincts of various animals, we are struck with wonder at how they lead those creatures toward rational behaviour. [—]

I do not, at present, feel quite convinced that any logical form can be assigned that will cover all “Retroductions”. For what I mean by a Retroduction is simply a conjecture which arises in the mind.

Source: 
Peirce, C. S. (1911). Letter to J. H. Kehler. L [R] 231.
References: 
NEM 3:203-204
Date of Quote: 
1911
URL: 

http://www.commens.org/dictionary/entry/quote-letter-j-h-kehler-4