A case of entity realists using abductive confirmation

Abstract

The paper has three objectives. First, it argues that Hodgkin, Huxley, and Katz were entity realists who confirmed the existence of specific entities by abduction. Second, it outlines a theory of this abductive reasoning. Third, it shows how the case is a counterexample to Hacking’s contention that experimentalists do not accept abductive evidence. The paper is not a “mere counterexample” paper, as it outlines a positive account of how to understand Hodgkin, Huxley, and Katz’s abductive reasoning and their entity realism. This single case invites the question of how many more such cases are to be found.