Which of the following is true of inductive arguments?
A) An inductive argument guarantees the truth of its conclusion.
B) An inductive argument attempts to provide support for the truth of its conclusion.
C) The conclusion of an inductive argument must be true if all of the argument's premises are true.
D) An inductive argument attempts to provide a necessary proof of its conclusion.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

An inductive argument attempts to provide proof for its conclusion, but no inductive argument however strong can guarantee the truth of its conclusion. Consider the following example: I see several thousand crows and observe that each is black. I offer this as evidence for the claim that all crows are black. I have given an inductive argument for this claim. My observations provide good evidence for my conclusion, but it may still be the case that there are some crows that are not black. (Indeed, some crows are not black!)

Which of the Following Is True of Inductive Arguments