Abduction and Metaphysics

The present chapter illustrates the connection between abduction and metaphysics, with special reference to Charles Sanders Peirce’s thought. To investigate this connection, two complementary issues are addressed: the role and relevance of abduction for metaphysics, and the metaphysical presuppositions of abduction according to Peirce. (1) The first section is a methodological and theoretical introduction to the topic, and provides the tools for gaining a clear understanding of the issue at stake. (2) The second section – entitled “Peirce on abduction and metaphysics” – explores the role of abductive reasoning for metaphysics, with special reference to the concept of ‘reality’. (3) The third section – “Peirce on metaphysics and abduction” – explicates what kind of metaphysics abduction supports. It is divided in its turn into two subsections: (3.1) evolutionary metaphysics and abduction, (3.2) modality and abduction. (4) The fourth section – “Abduction and realism” – focuses on the relation between abduction and ontological realism, by connecting Peirce’s “extreme realism” to contemporary debates about scientific realism. In conclusion, the importance of the connection between abduction and metaphysics, and the originality of Peirce’s theoretical stance, are reassessed.