Guidelines for Inference to the Best Explanation Portfolio

In this assignment, you will come up with 3 original examples of cogent Inference to the Best Explanation arguments, in order to show that you know how to use them correctly.

Make sure that you use a different type of explanation for each argument (i.e., causal, teleological, interpretive, procedural), that the content of the arguments is as different from one another as possible, and that each of the premises is uncontroversially true. (The conclusion doesn’t have to be controversial.)

Examples:

1. Crop circles are either caused by genetic defects in some of the plants, by extraterrestrials, or by pranksters.

2. The genetic defects explanation is externally inconsistent with laboratory tests of the plants.

3. The prankster explanation is easier to test and more conservative than the extraterrestrial explanation.

4. Therefore, the prankster explanation is probably the best explanation of crop circles.

1. When Mike said that he likes my new shoes, he was either being truthful, being sarcastic, or merely being polite.

2. The politeness interpretation is externally inconsistent because Mike has a reputation for speaking his mind and never restrains himself out of politeness.

3. Although the truthfulness interpretation would be a simpler explanation, the sneering tone of his voice provides substantial evidence that he was intending to be sarcastic.

4. Therefore, the sarcasm interpretation is probably the best explanation.

General Form of an Inference to the Best Explanation:

1. State what is being explained and list all of the relevant competing explanations for it. (Include at least 3 competing explanations.)

2. List any explanations with internal or external inconsistencies, and eliminate them from consideration. (If there aren’t any, skip this premise.)

3. List any advantages the remaining explanations have over one another in terms of the criteria of adequacy and the amount of evidence supporting them, and indicate which one has the greatest advantages.

4. Therefore, the explanation with the greatest advantages is probably the best explanation.

Grammar and Spelling: Make sure that your papers are clearly written – i.e., that the meaning is clear enough that any other student would be able to understand it. Papers will be downgraded for spelling, grammatical, and stylistic errors if there are more than 2 per page.

Sources: You shouldn’t use any outside sources since your arguments are supposed to be original.

Format: Typed, 12 point type, 1-1.5 inch margins, number and staple pages if more than one page.