deductive reasoning
"Deductive reasoning" involves deriving specific conclusions from general principles, ensuring logical consistency if the initial premises are true.
🇺🇸 US Voice:
🇬🇧 UK Voice:
Definition
C1Logic
(technical, academic)A process where a conclusion is drawn from one or more premises, ensuring the conclusion must be true if the premises are true.
Example
- If all humans are mortal and Socrates is a human, then Socrates must be mortal.
C1Philosophy
(technical, academic)A form of reasoning that guarantees the truth of the conclusion if the premises are true, moving from general principles to specific instances.
Example
- In a syllogism, 'Every A is B' and 'This C is A' lead to the conclusion 'This C is B'.
C1Science
(technical, academic)A method used to test hypotheses by applying general principles to specific observations, ensuring the conclusions are valid if the premises are correct.
Example
- Using deductive reasoning, a scientist might conclude that a chemical reaction will produce a certain result based on established principles.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "deductive reasoning":