Deductive And Inductive Reasoning

Last Updated on February 15, 2024.

With Deductive Reasoning, you start with an idea or information. This is referred to as a premise.

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Eventually, you’ll come up with a conclusion that’s based on the original premise.

1. Choose the answer(s) which correctly complete(s) the sentence.

Inductive reasoning, or ‘bottom-up logic’, …
A.
B.
C.
D.

Question 1 of 2

2. Choose the answer which incorrectly completes the sentence.

Deductive reasoning, or ‘top-down’ logic …
A.
B.
C.
D.

Question 2 of 2


 

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This lesson is a part of our GED Reasoning Through Language Arts Guide

Video Transcription

Sherlock Holmes, the famous detective guy from those great books, always uses the process of deductive reasoning to solve his mysteries.

Think of Deductive Reasoning like this:

(1) If this is happening… (2) and this is happening… (3) then we can easily come to the following conclusion. If the premise is true, then our conclusion should be true as well.

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Inductive Reasoning

The process of Inductive Reasoning works quite in the opposite way. First, you start out with several observations.

“I’m seeing that.” “This is happening here.” “I think that this will be happening just like in the other cases since the circumstances are similar.”

This is a 2-step process. First, you begin with specifics, followed by a theory. That is Deductive Reasoning.

When you’ll apply your theory to some new area, that’s inductive reasoning. When you’ve organized data and information into categories, you can say, “What do all these points have in common?”

There is, however, a major problem when working with inductive reasoning. Usually, your conclusions contain more information that may also be interested differently than all the facts you’re using.

You’ve started out with dozens of data and observed examples. Then you’ve taken an inductive leap, resulting in possibly millions of assumptions and possible examples.

Well, if your conclusion holds true, your assumptions and new premises are true.