Almost every website that talks about it says, “Inductive reasoning is a bottom up” approach while “deductive is a top down approach”.
Can anyone explain to me the THE DIFFERENCE? What makes these two forms of reasoning so different? Examples are always appreciated as well.
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In reasoning, there are three components: a rule, a cause, and an effect. For example:
> Rule: Every time it rains, the grass gets wet.
>
> Cause: It just rained.
>
> Effect: The grass is wet.
There are three types of reasoning: deductive, inductive, and adductive. Each of them is missing one of the three components, but uses the other two to predict the third.
**Deductive reasoning** lacks the effect. So, you would know:
> Every time it rains, the grass gets wet (rule). It just rained (cause).
>
> Therefore, I conclude the grass is wet (effect).
As long as the rule and cause are always accurate, the effect will also be accurate. This type of reasoning is the most solid.
**Inductive reasoning** lacks the rule. So, you would know:
> It just rained (cause). The grass is wet (effect).
>
> Therefore, I predict that when it rains, the grass gets wet (rule).
However, there could be exceptions to the general rule that aren’t captured in observation. For instance, the grass could sometimes be under a tarp, preventing it from getting wet when it rains. Only further observation will tell. This is the basis of experimental science (do a bunch of things and try to find out if there is a rule).
**Abductive reasoning** lacks the cause. So, you would know:
> When it rains, the grass gets wet (rule). The grass is wet (effect).
>
> Therefore, I predict that it just rained (cause).
However, there could be many other causes for the effect. For instance, maybe the lawn sprinkler was just on. This is the weakest form of reasoning (and ironically what Sherlock Holmes actually uses the most).
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