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Understanding Deductive Reasoning Explained

Deductive reasoning is a logical method that moves from general premises to specific conclusions, contrasting with inductive reasoning which starts with specific observations. It involves making inferences based on accepted ideas and is structured in a premise-premise-conclusion format. However, it is susceptible to biases, such as confirmation bias, which can affect the validity of the conclusions drawn.

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7 views3 pages

Understanding Deductive Reasoning Explained

Deductive reasoning is a logical method that moves from general premises to specific conclusions, contrasting with inductive reasoning which starts with specific observations. It involves making inferences based on accepted ideas and is structured in a premise-premise-conclusion format. However, it is susceptible to biases, such as confirmation bias, which can affect the validity of the conclusions drawn.

Uploaded by

Meriam Jairil Sairal
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

What Is Deductive Reasoning?

| Explanation & Examples

Published on January 20, 2022 by Pritha Bhandari. Revised on June 22, 2023.

Deductive reasoning is a logical approach where you progress from general ideas to

specific conclusions. It’s often contrasted with inductive reasoning, where you start with

specific observations and form general conclusions.

Deductive reasoning is also called deductive logic or top-down reasoning.

Note

Deductive reasoning is often confused with inductive reasoning. However, in inductive


reasoning, you draw conclusions by going from the specific to the general.
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What is deductive reasoning?

In deductive reasoning, you’ll often make an argument for a certain idea. You make an

inference, or come to a conclusion, by applying different premises.


A premise is a generally accepted idea, fact, or rule, and it’s a statement that lays the

groundwork for a theory or general idea. Conclusions are statements supported by

premises.

TipDue to its reliance on inference, deductive reasoning is at high risk for research
biases, particularly confirmation bias and other types of cognitive bias like belief bias. It
can be tempting to seek out or prefer information that supports your inferences or ideas,
but be careful about bias creeping into your research.

Deductive logic arguments


In a simple deductive logic argument, you’ll often begin with a premise, and add another

premise. Then, you form a conclusion based on these two premises. This format is

called “premise-premise-conclusion.”

Examples: Deductive logic arguments

remise l insects have exactly six legs.

remise piders have eight legs.

onclusion herefore, spiders are not insects.

remise ue litmus paper turns red in the presence of acid.

remise he blue litmus paper turned red after I dropped some liquid on it.

onclusion herefore, the liquid is acidic.

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