Sublime

rules of inference – that is, rules defining the steps that are permitted in proofs, such that the truth of the premises is transmitted to the conclusions.

We induce the most widely applicable rules we can and reduce their scope only when the data forces us to.

Open-mindedness is all too often dismissed as indecisiveness. People habitually assume that open-mindedness implies reluctance or abstinence from drawing emphatic conclusions. But for the truly curious mind, open-mindedness is simply a disposition, a systematic method of enquiry, an intellectual approach to life rather than a state of inevitable

When I say that inquiry needs to be open ended, I don’t mean that you should never take a perspective. But whatever perspective you take, inquiry can move to open it up and reveal what you are inquiring into.

causal estimates produced by observational studies may be labeled “provisional causality,” that is, causality contingent upon the set of assumptions that our causal diagram advertises.

Deductive inferences do the reverse. They start with general knowledge and predict a specific observation.

I hope you will accept my invitation to investigate this hypothesis with me.