Abductive Creativity and Abductive Ruse, a Semiotic Perspective on Hypothetical Reasoning and its Pitfalls

Abstract

This thesis expounds on the original concept of abductive ruse intended as a faked cognitive chance that produces intentionally misdirected and erroneous guesses. The first and second chapter are devoted to present the conceptual background on which the concept of abductive trap is dependent. In the following, I will present a brief history of the notion of abduction, from Peirce to contemporary perspective, and its epistemological hybrid nature. The third chapter, which is the core of the thesis, elaborates on the concept of abductive ruse. Finally, I will present a historical case study that will help clarify the concept of abductive ruse.