{"id":7535,"date":"2019-05-13T17:00:47","date_gmt":"2019-05-14T00:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/?p=7535"},"modified":"2022-12-14T07:54:14","modified_gmt":"2022-12-14T15:54:14","slug":"difference-inductive-and-deductive-reasoning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/difference-inductive-and-deductive-reasoning\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s the Difference Between Inductive and Deductive Reasoning?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let\u2019s say you\u2019re sitting in class, and you make any random claim like \u201cProfessor Smith never eats fast food\u201d or \u201cthe neighbor\u2019s dog is stealing my dog\u2019s toys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Your friend might tell you to \u201cprove it\u201d or might ask, \u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

What your friend is actually <\/i>wondering is what type of reasoning you used to make your claim and what evidence you can present to illustrate the validity of your claim.<\/p>\n

The terms inductive <\/i>and deductive reasoning <\/i>might be pretty fuzzy in your mind right now. But you\u2019ve probably used one of these types of reasoning to reach conclusions.<\/p>\n

So what’s the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning, and how do you distinguish between the two if you\u2019re asked to use one (or both) in a paper?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n

What Is Reasoning?<\/h2>\n

In essence, reasoning is the process of logically and rationally thinking about something in order to draw a conclusion. That conclusion is based on the specific evidence you evaluate.<\/p>\n

Depending on your assignment<\/a>, you might use evidence<\/a> from sources<\/a>, evidence from personal research<\/a>, or personal opinion<\/a> and\/or observations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Remember, reasoning means you\u2019re developing conclusions and making inferences. You\u2019re not proving<\/i> that something is true.<\/p>\n

In other words, you can\u2019t say that you\u2019ve proved <\/i>all gas stations sell pizza because you visited 10 gas stations and all 10 sold pizza by the slice.<\/p>\n

Your observations might infer <\/i>or suggest<\/i> that all gas stations sell pizza, but they don’t prove<\/i> it to be true.<\/p>\n

Now that you know the basics, let\u2019s talk about the two key types of reasoning: inductive and deductive reasoning.<\/p>\n

Inductive and Deductive Reasoning Defined<\/h2>\n

Inductive reasoning<\/h3>\n

With inductive<\/strong> reasoning<\/b>, you use facts, patterns, and other information to reach a conclusion. It uses specific examples to create a more generalized theory. It\u2019s sometimes referred to as \u201cbottom-up\u201d logic.<\/p>\n

This type of reasoning is more open-ended. It allows you to explore ideas and theories.<\/p>\n

For example, let\u2019s say that, during Monday\u2019s lecture, Professor Smith mentions that fast food<\/a> restaurants serve food that\u2019s too high in sodium and fat. On Wednesday, he states that prices of fast food restaurants may be cheap (in some cases), but the food they serve is barely edible.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s also say that this pattern continues on a somewhat regular basis. Throughout the semester, he makes negative comments about the nutritional value of fast food.<\/p>\n

Based on his pattern of statements, you can use inductive reasoning<\/b> to conclude that Professor Smith doesn\u2019t eat at fast food restaurants.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve used specific examples of your professor\u2019s comments to infer a larger theory or premise about his behavior.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind, though, that your conclusion might not always be valid. It\u2019s perfectly acceptable to change your theory and\/or reach new conclusions after you examine new evidence.<\/i><\/p>\n

In this example, even though your professor made numerous negative comments about fast food restaurants, you might learn that he occasionally (or even frequently) eats at them.<\/p>\n

Because your original conclusion is invalid, you might examine the evidence again to draw different conclusions.<\/p>\n

In this case, you might look at the professor\u2019s background and realize that he\u2019s a nutrition expert. Thus, you might now conclude that he\u2019s informing the class of the nutritional value of fast food meals. He\u2019s not <\/i>expressing a personal opinion or stating his personal dining preferences.<\/p>\n

When to use inductive reasoning in an essay<\/h4>\n

When you\u2019re using inductive reasoning,<\/b> you\u2019re presenting a conclusion based on specific facts, examples, or observations. (You don\u2019t already have a theory in mind. You\u2019re using evidence<\/a> to help you develop that theory.)<\/p>\n

You may choose to use inductive reasoning when writing a <\/b>narrative essay,<\/b><\/a> a work of <\/b>fiction<\/b><\/a>, or perhaps a <\/b>persuasive essay<\/b><\/a>. <\/b><\/p>\n

Using inductive reasoning <\/b>in these <\/i>types of essays allows you to present information to keep the audience<\/a> interested. Including evidence and examples along the way encourages readers to keep reading in order to learn about each part of the story and enjoy the journey as the tale unfolds.<\/p>\n\t

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You might also use inductive reasoning in social science classes. <\/b><\/p>\n

Using inductive reasoning<\/b> in essays, such as observation essays<\/a>, allows you to observe patterns in behaviors and draw conclusions based on what you\u2019ve witnessed or based on experiments you\u2019ve conducted.<\/p>\n

Inductive reasoning examples<\/h4>\n

Below are two examples of how you might use inductive reasoning in an observation essay.<\/p>\n

Example #1:<\/b><\/h5>\n

You observe students\u2019 dining preferences in the food court throughout the day. You notice that students who pay with a meal card consistently have trays overflowing with food, but students who pay in cash have consistently lesser amounts of food.<\/p>\n