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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Deductive reasoning: if all the premises in an argument are true, then the conclusion MUST be true.
E.g. All humans are mortal. I am a human. Therefore, I am mortal.
If it is indeed true that all humans are mortal, and that I am a human, then I must be mortal. There is absolutely no way that I am not mortal if I am a human and all humans are mortal. It is logically impossible.
Inductive reasoning: if all the premises in an argument are true, then the conclusion is PROBABLY true, but could be false.
E.g. I’ve seen a million swans. Every swan I’ve seen has been white. Therefore, all swans are white.
Sure, seeing a million white swans might be a good reason to think all swans are white, but it is still possible that other coloured swans exist, and I just haven’t seen them yet. Despite the fact that my evidence gave me a good reason to believe the conclusion, it is still possible for the conclusion to be false.
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