Deduction and Induction

Deduction and Induction

Deductive arguments are arguments in
which the conclusion is claimed or intended
to follow necessarily from the premises.
( If premises are true, then the conclusion
must be true).
Inductive arguments are arguments in
which the conclusion is claimed or intended
to follow probably from the premises.
( If premises are true, then the conclusion is
false or probably true).

Deduction and Induction

Arguments below
deductive or inductive?

Argument 1:
Most Germany cars are high in maintenance cost
Mercedes is a Germany car
Therefore, Mercedes are high in maintenance
cost
Answer: Deductive argument

Deduction and Induction

Argument 2:
Steven was Greek.
Most Greeks eat fish.
Steven ate fish.
Answer: Inductive argument
Argument 3:
Bergen is either in Norway or Sweden.
If Bergen is in Norway, then Bergen is in Scandinavia.
If Bergen is in Sweden, then Bergen is in Scandinavia.
Therefore, Bergen is in Scandinavia.
Answer: Deductive argument

Deduction and Induction

Argument 4:
The members of the Williams family are
Susan, Nathan and Alexander.
Susan wears glasses.
Nathan wears glasses.
Alexander wears glasses.
Therefore,all members of the Williams
family wear glasses.
Answer: Inductive argument

KEY DIFFERENCES
Deductive arguments claim that

If the premises are true, then the

conclusion must be true.
The conclusion follows
necessarily from the premises.
The premises provide conclusive
evidence for the truth of the
conclusion.
It is impossible for all the
premises to be true and the
conclusion false.
It is logically inconsistent to
assert the premises and deny the
conclusion, meaning that if you
accept the premises, you must
accept the conclusion.

Inductive arguments claim that

If the premises are true, then the

conclusion is probably true.
The conclusion follows probably
from the premises.
The premises provide good (but
not conclusive) evidence for the
truth of the conclusion.
It is unlikely for the premises to
be true and the conclusion false.
Although it is logically consistent
to assert the premises and deny
the conclusion, the conclusion is
probably true if the premises are
true.

Exercises
Instruction: Solve the following mini-mysteries
on your own, using your own native reasoning
abilities. Then discuss your solutions with
partner.

1. Either Bill was the murderer, or Peter was

the murderer.
If Peter was murderer, then traces of cyanide
should have been found on the body.
No traces of cyanide were found on the body.
Who is the murderer?

Exercises
2. Lan, Huong, and Vu are college friends in
Vietnam who plan to spend a semester
abroad. They can study in the U.S.,
England, Singapore, Canada, Japan, France.
Lan is willing to go anywhere except Asia.
Huong doesnt care where they go, as long
as its not France. Vu prefers not to study in
America.
Which is the one country that satisfied
all of these various preferences?