Deductive Reasoning (From General to Specific):
- Structure: Major premise → Minor premise → Conclusion
- Example:
- Major: All humans are mortal
- Minor: Socrates is human
- Conclusion: Therefore, Socrates is mortal
- Evaluation: Check if premises are true and logic is valid
Inductive Reasoning (From Specific to General):
- Structure: Specific observations → Pattern recognition → General conclusion
- Example:
- Observation: Every swan I've seen is white
- Pattern: All observed swans are white
- Conclusion: All swans are white (later proven false)
- Evaluation: Consider sample size, representativeness, and alternative explanations
Abductive Reasoning (Inference to Best Explanation):
- Structure: Observation → Possible explanations → Best explanation
- Example:
- Observation: The grass is wet
- Explanations: Rain, sprinkler, dew, flood
- Best: Rain (most likely given other evidence)
- Evaluation: Consider multiple explanations and their relative likelihood