Deductive and inductive reasoning are really essential to learn and master considering theirs usages in sensing the world around you. In the previous article, we learned the “reasoning” process that is about drawing conclusion on the basis of given premises or interconnected statements. We have also understood the rules and standards of logic that determine process of reasoning. In this article, you will learn “deductive and inductive reasonings”, theirs key differences, and usages in day-to-day decision making and problem solving.
- All planets revolve around the sun.
- Jupiter is a planet.
- Therefore, Jupiter revolves around the sun.
- (Note: not to use “article” before planets name because they are proper nouns not unique like sun)
Major cognitive processes
Perception, attention, memory, reasoning and problem solving are the fundamental cognitive processes we perform continuously in the world around us to gain understanding. Among all, reasoning is a kind of logical thinking we use to draw conclusions from premises or available knowledge. It helps to understand and explore interconnectedness between various things that eventually enable us to make decisions to solve problems. On the basis of different approaches, it is classified as deductive and inductive reasoning. First of let’s begin with deductive reasoning.
Deductive reasoning: meaning, role and examples
- All religions believe in the law of karma.
- Buddhism is an important religion
- Like others, Buddhism also believe in the law of karma.
- All the alluvial plains are highly fertile.
- Gangetic plain is a huge alluvial plan.
- Therefore, Gangetic plain is a highly fertile and granaries of the world.
Deductive reasoning is a kind of logical process that involves drawing specific conclusions from two or more premises. It is characterized by its top-down approach, starting with a general statement or hypothesis and narrowing down to a specific conclusion. The fundamental principle behind deductive reasoning is that if the premises are true, the conclusion derived from them must also be true. This relationship ensures the validity of the conclusion. Hence, it makes deductive reasoning a powerful tool.
Deductive reasoning: valid, invalid, sound and unsound
It may be valid, invalid, sound or unsound depending on premises and principles of logic. If the conclusion follows logically from the premises, it is called valid. And, to be logically sound, it has to fulfill two conditions: it should be valid and premises should be true. In short, in the deductive reasoning, if the derived conclusion follows logically from the premises and the premises are true, then the deductive reasoning is termed as valid as well as sound. This is the hallmark of deductive reasoning.
Structure of syllogism in deductive reasoning
The structure of deductive reasoning is often represented through syllogisms, which consist of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. Syllogism is a type of logical argument that uses deductive reasoning to arrive at a conclusion. Syllogism includes major and minor premises and a conclusion. Here are some key terms used in deductive reasoning with definitions.
1. Premises
They are statements or assumptions which are assumed to be true in the deductive reasoning. Premises are used to draw conclusions. If the premises are true, the reasoning is sound, otherwise unsound. There are two types of premises: general and specific.
2. General premise
General premise: it is a general statement or assumption that is considered to be true.
3. Specific premise
Specific premise: it is a specific statement that relates to the general premise.
4. Conclusion
Conclusion: it is a logical deduction or inference derived from the two or more premises that are assumed to be true.
5. Argument
Argument: it is a structure of claim, supporting reasons and evidences that acts as a vehicle of persuasion we use to convince people for or against any point of view or opinion.
Examples of deductive reasoning
Example 1
- General premise: All birds are oviparous.
- Specific premise: Eagle is a bird.
- Conclusion : Therefore, eagle is a oviparous.
Example 2
- General premise: All lofty mountains are folded.
- Specific premise: Himalaya is a lofty mountain.
- Conclusion: Himalaya is a folded mountain.
Different Aspects of deductive reasoning
In order grasp the concept of deductive reasoning, it is equally important to know the different aspects of deductive reasoning. Here are certain important aspects that I’m going to discuss in detail.
1. Certainty and validity
One of the key characteristics of deductive reasoning is its certainty. When dealing with valid arguments, if the premises are accurate, the conclusions drawn will invariably hold true.
Unlike inductive reasoning, which relies on probabilistic generalizations and can lead to conclusions that may not always be accurate, deductive reasoning provides a strong assurance of validity, making it highly valued in analytical thinking and problem-solving contexts.
2. General to specific
Deductive reasoning starts with general statement or principle and applies them to specific areas.
- General statement: All products in the “electronics” category are on sale this week.
- Specific case: This is a laptop, and it’s in the “electronics” category.
- Conclusion: Therefore, this laptop is on sale this week.
3. Not discovery
Deductive reasoning doesn’t discover new information; it only clarifies the implications of what is already known.
4. Validity and soundness
A fundamental aspect is that if the premises are true and the logic is valid, the conclusion must necessarily follow. This reflects the reliability often attributed to deductive reasoning in various fields such as mathematics, philosophy, and computer science.
Role and Importance of deductive reasoning
It plays a pivotal role in numerous fields, serving as a foundational tool for constructing coherent arguments and deducing valid conclusions. In mathematics, for instance, deductive reasoning is essential for proving theorems and establishing relationships between variables through logical steps.
In science as well, the importance of deductive reasoning is similarly pronounced. Researchers often use established theories as a basis for predicting outcomes of experiments
Law is another domain where deductive reasoning is crucial. Legal professionals employ deductive reasoning to interpret statutes and precedents, allowing them to construct cases and counterarguments based on established laws.
Nevertheless, the limitations of deductive reasoning must also be acknowledged. The efficacy of this reasoning style is contingent upon the accuracy and completeness of its premises. If the foundational statements are flawed, the conclusions drawn may be incorrect, leading to inappropriate outcomes in various contexts.
Inductive reasoning: meaning, role and examples
Inductive Reasoning is a kind of logical thinking and a fundamental cognitive process that enable us to think and understand the world around. Being a “bottom up” approach, it begins with specific observation, data or information and draw general conclusions by identifying patterns and trends. Most importantly, conclusions reached by inductive reasoning are not guaranteed to be true but probabilistic. Understanding the vital role inductive reasoning plays in various fields, its thoroughly decoding is inevitable. Here I’m going to explain in detail “Inductive reasoning: meaning and usages.”
Inductive reasoning: meaning and examples
If you participate in a marriage ceremony, you will experience there a lot of happenings like various customary rituals. What would you do there? Definitely, you will observe all the happening carefully and start imagining about marriage as institution taking place in different regions of country. Simply, you will generalize the observed marriage and customary rituals to larger context specifically to same religion and culture.
But, one thing is important that not every marriage in the same religion and culture take same course. If it is totally arranged, then everything is fine. In case of love marriage or court marriage, what about all the customary rituals and processes?
To cut the long story short, first of all, you observed specific phenomenon. You understood various patterns and trends. And, you reached at the conclusion that every marriage in specific religion and culture take the same course of action. But, you know that the exact result isn’t guaranteed but probability.
In Inductive reasoning, conclusions are reached can’t be guaranteed to be true but probabilistic. It is a bottom up approach. It draws general conclusions by observing specific phenomenon or data. This method of reasoning allows individuals to form hypotheses and theories based on the patterns and trends they observe in real-world situations.
Unlike Deductive reasoning where conclusions are guaranteed based on already established premises. So, deductive reasoning is a top down approach of logical thinking. Inductive reasoning provides conclusions that are probable but not certain. It relies heavily on the accumulation of evidence and the identification of patterns, making it particularly useful in everyday decision-making and scientific inquiries.
Role and Importance of inductive reasoning
Usually, we often engage in inductive reasoning without even realizing it. If we notices that the sun rises every morning, we may conclude that the sun will rise tomorrow as well. This conclusion is based on the repeated observation of a specific event, illustrating how inductive reasoning allows for generalizations based on limited experiences.
Similarly, when a person encounters a new dog breed that is friendly and playful, they may infer that all dogs of that breed exhibit similar traits, despite not having interacted with every dog of that type.
Inductive reasoning also plays a critical role in scientific practices. Scientists frequently formulate hypotheses based on observations and experimental results. If a researcher observes that a certain medication alleviates symptoms in several patients, they might conclude that the medication is effective in treating that illness.
This conclusion, drawn from specific cases, propels further research and experimentation. However, it is essential to acknowledge that inductive reasoning does not guarantee accuracy; subsequent evidence may reveal exceptions or contradictions to the initial generalization. Nonetheless, the significance of inductive reasoning in combining observations to formulate conclusions cannot be overstated, as it is an integral part of human cognition and scientific advancement.
Major characteristics of inductive reasoning
1. Probabilistic conclusions
First, In deductive reasoning, where conclusions are logically certain provided the premises are true, inductive reasoning deals with conclusions that are likely to be true based on the evidence available. This means that while a conclusion derived from inductive reasoning can be supported by empirical evidence, it is not absolutely guaranteed to be correct.
2. Depends on empirical data
Second, inductive reasoning heavily relies on empirical evidence and data gathered from real-world observations. The more data points available, the stronger and more convincing the argument may become. However, the relevance and quality of this evidence play a critical role.
Obviously, a larger sample size generally provides a better representation of the larger population, thus improving the reliability of the conclusions drawn. Conversely, limited or biased samples can lead to skewed results, undermining the strength of the inductive argument.
3. Flexible and open to new data
Third, It allows for the modification of conclusions as new evidence emerges, making it a dynamic process. This adaptability is crucial in fields such as scientific inquiry, where hypotheses are continually tested and re-evaluated in light of new findings.
However, this flexibility also opens the door to potential biases, as individuals may unconsciously select evidence that supports preconceived notions while ignoring counter-examples. As such, understanding and mitigating biases is essential for improving the quality of inductive reasoning.
Applications of Inductive Reasoning
First, Inductive reasoning is foundational to the scientific method. Scientists often begin with empirical data and observations, formulating hypotheses to explain patterns and establish theories. This empirical approach enables the accumulation of knowledge based on repeated experimentation and validation.
For example, observing that a specific drug consistently reduces symptoms in a patient population can lead to its general usage for broader treatment in medicine.
Second, In the field of law, it enable us in constructing legal arguments and making predictions about outcomes based on previously judged cases.
Lawyers review case precedents to establish patterns in judicial decisions. Moreover, artificial intelligence utilizes inductive reasoning through machine learning models that draw on data patterns to make predictions.
Challenges or limitations of inductive reasoning
However, inductive reasoning is not without its limitations. One major challenge is the risk of overgeneralization, where conclusions drawn from a limited sample may not reflect the wider reality. This can lead to inaccurate assumptions, potentially skewing results and analyses.
Additionally, biases in the selection of data can compromise the inductive reasoning process. For instance, if data is cherry-picked to support a specific hypothesis, it may result in misleading conclusions that do not hold up under scrutiny.
Hypothetico deductive research
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_reasoning
https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/deduction-vs-induction-vs-abduction