Reflecting on the Nature of Science and the 'Little Known' Role of Retroductive Reasoning in Research

Abstract

We start from the premise that the retroductive mode of reasoning is not well understood in the theorizing and research process. Retroduction and abduction, less well known and rarely acknowledged in scientific contributions, stems from our perception that advances in sciences are not limited to deductive and inductive reasoning alone, but that retroductive and abductive reasoning equally contribute to acquisition of knowledge in the research process. Our contribution is linked to a caveat linked to Kuhnian thinking, that: knowledge is time-constrained, and that as paradigms are overthrown, the theoretical landscape re-shapes to reify new knowledge claims anchored on newer grand, middle, and subsequently, substantive theories relevant to a researcher’s context (discipline, research setting). We limit our contribution in improving research practice to epistemological concerns and how individual researchers can better improve how they conceptualize research problems and develop theory through retroduction and abduction. We link our contribution to the epistemological arena, since the general understanding of how scientists reason and formulate explanations is still surprisingly limited, yet prescriptions for methodological rigor are the norm and essential in research.

Keywords: Retroduction, abduction, deduction, induction, philosophy of science, research

JEL Classification: M10