{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,27]],"date-time":"2026-03-27T06:11:49Z","timestamp":1774591909941,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,6]],"date-time":"2024-08-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1722902400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/pages\/standard-publication-reuse-rights"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,26]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>In this article, we want to demonstrate how thoughts experiments (TEs) incorporate cognitive structures\u2014abductive inferences as conceptual metaphors\u2014that reliably underpin everyday thinking and are enhanced and rendered more effective in scientific and philosophical contexts. Indeed one might successfully rethink the inferential structure at the heart of thought experiment production as the application of a generative abductive procedure. We shall characterize TES as possessing two characteristics that are essential to the definitions of abductive and metaphorical thinking, but when considered in relation to TE\u2019s description, can excuse mild bewilderment: both knowledge-enhancing and ignorance-preserving features. In sum, we will say that TEs realize extended conceptual metaphors, which instantiate forms of abductive reasoning and, therefore, partially preserve the ignorance of the authors who produce them (even if they also increase a bit their knowledge by\u2014so to speak\u2014mitigating ignorance). In certain fortunate and exceptional instances, however, TEs can also provide a purely knowledge-enhancing benefit; in order to do this, a reference to the innovative and creative function of thought experiments in Galileo\u2019s findings is also included.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/jigpal\/jzae096","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,26]],"date-time":"2024-06-26T10:39:03Z","timestamp":1719398343000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Model-based abductive cognition: What thought experiments teach us"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"34","author":[{"given":"Lorenzo","family":"Magnani","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Pavia Department of Humanities, Philosophy Section, and Computational Philosophy Laboratory, , Piazza Botta 6, Pavia, 27100 , , lmagnani@unipv.it","place":["Italy"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Selene","family":"Arfini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Pavia Department of Humanities, Philosophy Section, and Computational Philosophy Laboratory, , Piazza Botta 6, Pavia, 27100 , , selene.arfini@unipv.it","place":["Italy"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026032700492015900_ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1515\/semi.2005.2005.153-1-4.363","article-title":"The logic of abduction in the light of Peirce\u2019s pragmatism","author":"Aliseda","year":"2005","journal-title":"Semiotica"},{"key":"2026032700492015900_ref2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-38983-7_24","article-title":"Thought experiments as model-based abductions","volume-title":"Model-Based Reasoning in Science and Technology. 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