retroduction

A leading or bringing back.

On the subject of Planting, Mr. M. is of opinion that 'the offering premiums for the general increase of wood is going retrograde, or constributing towards a retroduction of uncultivated nature; instead of which, this country ought to be in a state of garden-like cultivation.

Touching the free introduction and retroduction of incomplete manufactures to be finished, or advanced, and then returned, a trade which has been very profitable to Germany.

Synonym of abduction.

Whereas retroduction involves one step, and deduction involves two, induction, as the third stage, involves three: classification, probationary argument, and appraisal of the probations.

Note that deduction and retroduction employ the same form of logical statement to determine either the post- or precondition, respectively.

A system of research or problem-solving based on abduction; A dialectic method of working from existing information to achieve a theory or from a desired outcome to achieve a design.

This is the big advantage of retroduction; it is difficult the first time it is attempted, but with a little experience, you can select the designs more and more quickly. Most good designers perform retroduction without realizing it.

Elsewhere (Chiasson, 2005), I demonstrate that abduction can be considered an aspect of retroduction rather than as a synonym for it.