Deductive reasoning

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Deductive reasoning

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Deductive reasoning is the process of reasoning from the general to the specific. Deductive reasoning is supported by deductive logic, for example:

From general propositions: * All ravens are black birds. * For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction

To specific propositions such as: * This bird is a raven, therefore it is black. * This billiard ball will move when struck with a cue.

The conclusions of deductive reasoning are as valid as the initial assumption, in contrast to inductive reasoning. In the latter one attempts to get a general truth from some group of specific observations, e.g. all the swans I have seen are white, therefore all swans are white. This is invalid - there do exist some black swans. Deductive reasoning was first described by the ancient Greek philosophers such as Aristotle.

See also * Inductive reasoning * Logic