Coherentism and the Material Theory of Induction

The circularities among relations of support in the material theory of induction are similar to the circularities of justification in a coherentist theory of justification in epistemology. This similarity is superficial. The coherentist theory concerns beliefs and the mental operations that connect them. Inductive inference concerns logical relations among propositions independent of our thoughts and beliefs. Contrary to my initial expectations, the resources of coherentist epistemology prove to be of little help or relevance to the material theory of induction.