What is the difference between Inductiuve reasoning and deductive reasoning? Please give examples.?

Answer 1

Deductive reasoning" refers to the process of concluding that something must be true because it is a special case of a general principle that is known to be true. For example, if you know the general principle that the sum of the angles in any triangle is always 180 degrees, and you have a particular triangle in mind, you can then conclude that the sum of the angles in your triangle is 180 degrees.
Deductive reasoning is logically valid and it is the fundamental method in which mathematical facts are shown to be true.

"Inductive reasoning" is the process of reasoning that a general principle is true because the special cases you've seen are true. For example, if all the people you've ever met from a particular town have been very strange, you might then say "all the residents of this town are strange". That is inductive reasoning: constructing a general principle from special cases. It goes in the opposite direction from deductive reasoning.
Inductive reasoning is not logically valid. Just because all the people you happen to have met from a town were strange is no guarantee that all the people there are strange. Therefore, this form of reasoning has no part in a mathematical proof.

Answer 2

In inductive reasoning the conclusion contains more information than the premisses. Ex. Five people went out in the cold weather and became sick, if you go out into the cold you will become sick. With deductive reasoning the conclusion contains no new information outside of the premisses. Ex. Five people went out in the cold weather and became sick, Jane was one of those five people, therefore she is sick. I understand that these examples are very simple but I think that they convey the major difference between inductive and deductive reasoning.

Short aside- Sixgun did you take a logic course using Paul Tomassi logic book? because he uses those same examples. I am not saying there is anything wrong with using those examples in fact they are quite helpful, just curious.

Answer 3

The best explanation I ever heard was:


Deductive reasoning must be true,
Inductive reasoning is probably true.

If we assume the following statement is true:

If he finds $20.00, then he said he would take me to the movies.


THEN:
Deductive: He found $20, hence he WILL take me to the movies.

Inductive: He took me to the movies, so he PROBABLY found $20.

Another deduction:
All men are mortal
Socrates is a man
hence: Socrates is mortal

Induction:
Socrates is mortal,
All men are mortal,
So Socrates is probably a man.

Does that make sense?

Answer 4

induct-to include in a group (a possibility)
deduct- to take away (take away any other possibility)

inductive:
all the questions i have seen tonight seem well- worded
you asked a question tonight
so your question is well-worded
deductive:
all questions in the philosophy category are well-worded
you asked a question in the philosophy category
so your question must be well-worded