THINKING FOR YOURSELF: CH 12 DEDUCTIVE REASONING

TFY: CH 12 DEDUCTIVE REASONING

Deductive reasoning is when you infer from a general principle in order to apply that principle to a specific instance. Deduction is taught through the study of good logic, inductive and deductive logic, or the science of good reason. The basic vocabulary of logic is:

· Argument: both deductive and inductive

· Reasoning: arguments use reasoning to arrive to a conclusion

· Syllogism: logic arranges deductive arguments in standardized forms that make the structure of the argument clearly visible for study and review.

· Validity: the conclusion has been correctly inferred from the premises.

· Soundness: argument in which the reasoning is valid and the premises are both true.

Six standardized forms in syllogisms are:

1. All____are___.

2. All___are not___.

3. No___are___.

4. Some___are___.

5. Some­­­___are not___.

6. If___, then___.

What syllogisms do:

1. Clarify the claims of the premises

2. Discover and expose any hidden premises

3. Find out if one thought follows logically from another