Generalization and Hume's Problem of Induction: Misconceptions and Clarifications

Author

Eric W. K. TSANG, University of Texas at Dallas
John N. Williams, Singapore Management UniversityFollow

Publication Type

Working Paper

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

5-2007

Abstract

In Generalizing Generalizability in Information Systems Research Lee and Baskerville (2003) attempt to clarify generalization and distinguish four types of generalization. Although this is a useful objective, what they call generalization is often not generalization at all in the proper sense of the word. We elucidate generalization by locating their major errors. A main source of these is their failure to understand the depth of Hume’s problem of induction. We give a thorough explication of the problem and then give a solution. Lastly, we propose an alternative taxonomy of generalization: theoretical, within-population, cross-population, contextual, and temporal.

Keywords

Research Methodology, Generalization, Generalizability, Induction, Deduction, Hume’s Problem of Induction

Discipline

Philosophy

Research Areas

Humanities

First Page

1

Last Page

31

Publisher

Singapore Management University

City or Country

Singapore

Citation

TSANG, Eric W. K. and Williams, John N., "Generalization and Hume's Problem of Induction: Misconceptions and Clarifications" (2007). Research Collection School of Social Sciences. Paper 184.
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/184

Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/184

Copyright Owner and License

Author

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Previous Versions

Aug 31 2010

Comments

Published in MIS Quarterly, 2012, 36(3), 729 - 748.