Inductive and Deductive

Reasoning
PART 1

Agenda
Inductive and Deductive Reasoning

Notes and Practice

Fallacious Reasoning

Notes, examples, practice

Exit Slip
**Turn in TWM notespages 100-150**

Group Activity
There are 10 items on your handout.
As a group, sort these items into a minimum of 3 groups so that each
groups has something specific in common. Then, right a claim about the
rule used to sort them.
We will share out once you are finished.

Example

The dog on the left looks aggressive

The pug looks silly
The cartoon dog in the center has big, goofy eyes and looks sweet
The dog on the far right is scary
Two of the dogs have sharp, pointy collars and it makes them look
aggressive.

Sorted:

Reasoning: The dogs on the left look mean, the dogs on the right look
calm.

Inductive Reasoning
What you just did is called inductive reasoning.
You made observations about the objects.
You sorted your evidence based on commonalities.
You made a claim based on what they had in common.
Inductive reasoning is often displayed on television.
Law and Order
CSI
Criminal Minds
House: lets see it in action

Inductive Reasoning Continued

Inductive Reasoning means taking your observations, analyzing them
(how are they similar, how are they different), and making a claim.
This is a Bottom-Up Approach
4 stages to Inductive Reasoning:
Observation: collect fact without bias
Analysis: identify patterns within the observations
Inference: make generalizations about the patterns you noticed
Confirmation: test the claim through further observations

Inductive Reasoning Pros and Cons

PROS:

CONS:

These arguments can be very convincing

They often lead to false or inaccurate

claims

Number of examples
Types of examples (personal,
hypothetical, real-world)

Overgeneralizations

Assuming a sequence that is not

true

Example: if A=B and B=C then A=C

All ghosts are imaginary. All unicorns

are imaginary. Therefore, all ghosts
are unicorns.

Just because they are both

imaginary things, it does not mean
that ghosts can only be unicorns

Deductive Reasoning
Deductive Reasoning is arriving at a conclusion by applying a general
principle, or claim, to a specific situation.
This is a Top-Down Approach.
Example:
General Principle: Any student caught cheating will be suspended.
Specific Situation: Billy Bob was caught cheating.
Conclusion: Billy Bob will be suspended.

Deductive Sort
Using the items on your sheet, sort them DEDUCTIVELY using the
following claim:
Different jobs require different tools.

Results:
You likely ended up with all of the office supplies grouped together, all
of the tools and construction objects together, and the hairbrush and
scissors together.

Deductive Reasoning Pros and Cons

PROS

CONS

If the argument is believed to be true, the

evidence supports the claim and makes it
stronger (more valid and sound).

If the argument is false to begin with, no

amount of evidence is going to convince
your audience.

Example: The weather in Iowa is

unpredictable in the spring. You
should pack both shorts and
sweaters when visiting. It was 35
degrees and snowing on Monday
and 68 degrees and sunny on
Tuesday.

If the audience accepts the validity of

the statement (the weather is
unpredictable), the evidence
reinforces it.

Example: The police are ineherintly

truthful. They said John committed
the crime. John is guilty.

Perhaps not everyone finds the police

truthful. Therefore, the evidence
presented is not going to make them
change their mind.