6/26/07

Inference discussion items

Humans automatically "fill-in the blanks" whenever we hear a story, and don't usually try to separate what we know "for sure" from what we infer "for sure". Once a person makes an inference, s/he is reluctant to accept that it might not be true.
Uncritically accepting an inference makes it easier to accept related inferences as true.
Uncritically accepting an inference makes it likely a person will reject conflicting inferences.
Arguments, even wars, can result from a failure to examine and verify inferences.
Any given inference can prove to be true.
Any given inference can prove to be false.
Once you begin thinking about an observation, many possible inferences from it come to mind.
Contradictory inferences can be drawn from the same observation.

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