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

• Main Authors: TSANG, Eric W. K., Williams, John N.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2007
• Subjects: Research Methodology; Generalization; Generalizability; Induction; Deduction; Hume’s Problem of Induction; Philosophy
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/184
• Institution: Singapore Management University

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.