Wednesday, July 25, 2018

What is an inference?


Photo source: Wikimedia Commons, Albertyanks

What is an inference? Here is my definition:
An inference is a belief based on indirect evidence
I believe that inferences are based on indirect observation. For example, imagine that you hear a doorbell ring. In this scenario, it wouldn't make sense to say you infer that the doorbell rang. This is because you directly experienced the sound. But you can infer that somebody is waiting at the door. This is because you did not first-hand observe that somebody is waiting there.

License: CC BY-SA 4.0