SProctor_Deductive and Inductive Arguments_January24
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Feb 20, 2024
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Deductive and Inductive Arguments
Shakema Proctor
Rasmussen University
Introduction to Critical Thinking
Fran Yarger
January 24, 2023
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A deductive argument sets out to guarantee the truth of its conclusion based on the truth of its premises
(Cline, 2019)
. It starts with assertions of general rule and proceeds to a guaranteed specific conclusion. The conclusion follows the validity of the premises. For example, a fruit that comes from a tree contains seeds and can be eaten as food. A fruit is the reproductive body of a seed plant and is generally edible. But it is not valid to say that a tomato is a fruit, but a seedless orange is not. Fruits are indeed edible, contain seeds, and are the product of a tree. It is also true that a fruit is the reproductive body of a seed plant and is generally edible. Tomatoes are technically a fruit because they are seed-filled reproductions of a
plant. The first premise is false because a seedless orange does not have seeds. The second premise is also false because it is not the reproductive body of a seed plant, even though it is edible. A deductive argument for this is that the seedless orange lacks the seeds that all fruits must have and is not the reproductive body of the seed plant but is edible. Therefore, a seedless orange is not a fruit. An inductive argument attempts to offer the probability that its conclusion is true based on the truth of its premises
(Cline, 2019)
. An example of an inductive argument would be that John does not like sliced tomatoes; John dislikes both ketchup and tomato soup; Therefore, John does not like marina sauce. Inductive reasoning involves starting from specific premises and forming a general conclusion, while deductive reasoning involves using general premises to form a specific conclusion. Conclusions reached via deductive reasoning cannot be incorrect if the premises are true. That’s because the conclusion doesn’t contain information that’s not in the premises. Unlike deductive reasoning, though, a conclusion reached via inductive reasoning
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goes beyond the information contained within the premises—it’s a generalization, and generalizations aren’t always accurate
(Dictionary.com, 2021)
.
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References
Cline, A. (2019, January). Deductive and Inductive Logic in Arguments
. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/deductive-and-inductive-arguments-249754#:~:text=An
%20inductive%20argument%2C%20sometimes%20considered%20bottom-up%20logic%2C
%20is,is%20improbable%20that%20the%20conclusion%20would%20be%20false.
Dictionary.com. (2021, November). "Inductive vs, Deductive: How to Reason Out Their Differences"
. Retrieved from https://www.dictionary.com/e/inductive-vs-deductive/#What%20Is%20The
%20Difference%20Between%20Inductive%20vs.%20Deductive%20Reasoning?