The idea of the uniformity of nature, as a solution to the problem of induction, has at least two contemporary versions: natural kinds and natural necessity. Then there are at least three alternative ontological ideas addressing the problem of induction. In this paper, I articulate how these ideas are used to justify the practice of inductive inference, and compare them, in terms of their applicability, to see whether each of them is preferred in addressing the problem of induction. Given the (...) variety of contexts in which inductive inferences are made, from natural science to social science and to everyday thinking, I suggest that no singular idea is absolutely preferred, and a proper strategy is probably to welcome the plurality of ideas helpful to induction, and to take pragmatic considerations into account, in order to judge in every single case. (shrink)

This essay is about a dark side of the Enlightenment, uncovering the contributions of notable thinkers from that era to the formation of racial ideologies. I address this dark side especially when it comes to moral philosophy in the Enlightenment. My focus will be on Immanuel Kant, to see how an iconic figure of radical thinking in the Enlightenment was at the same time a creative mind in developing the raciology of white supremacy. I argue that his notion of race, (...) drawn from natural history, not only influenced his anthropology, but also posed an unnoticed challenge for his moral and political philosophy. Furthermore, by delving into the conversation between Kant, on the one side, and Johann Herder and George Forster, on the other side, I hope to dismiss the objection of anachronism in so far as racial thinking is concerned in the eighteenth century. (shrink)