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'''Deductive reasoning''' is [[reasoning]] which uses deductive [[argument]]s to move from given statements ([[premise]]s), which are assumed to be true, to [[conclusion]]s, which must be true if the premises are true.
'''Deductive reasoning''' is [[reasoning]] which uses deductive [[argument]]s to move from given statements ([[premise]]s), which are assumed to be true, to [[conclusion]]s, which must be true if the premises are true.
[[File:AbductionDeductionInduction650.jpg|center|frame]]
The classic example of deductive reasoning, given by [[Aristotle]], is
The classic example of deductive reasoning, given by [[Aristotle]], is
==Background==
==Background==
Deductive reasoning was developed by [[Aristotle]], [[Thales]], [[Pythagoras]], and other Greek philosophers of the Classical Period (600 to 300 B.C.). Aristotle, for example, relates a story of how Thales used his skills to deduce that the next season's olive crop would be a very large one. He therefore bought all the olive presses and made a fortune when the bumper olive crop did indeed arrive.[http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Thales.html Thales of Miletus]
Deductive reasoning was developed by [[Aristotle]], [[Thales]], [[Pythagoras]], and other Greek philosophers of the Classical Period (600 to 300 B.C.). Aristotle, for example, relates a story of how Thales used his skills to deduce that the next season's olive crop would be a very large one. He therefore bought all the olive presses and made a fortune when the bumper olive crop did indeed arrive.[http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Thales.html Thales of Miletus]
==Natural deduction==
==Natural deduction==
Deductive reasoning should be distinguished from the related concept of [[natural deduction]], an approach to proof theory that attempts to provide a formal model of logical reasoning as it "naturally" occurs.
Deductive reasoning should be distinguished from the related concept of [[natural deduction]], an approach to proof theory that attempts to provide a formal model of logical reasoning as it "naturally" occurs.
==See also==
*[http://www.askoxford.com/results/?view=dev_dict&field-12668446=deduction&branch=13842570&textsearchtype=exact&sortorder=score%2Cname AskOxford]
*[http://www.bartleby.com/61/44/D0084400.html Bartleby],
*[http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=deduce*1 Cambridge Dictionary of American English]
*[http://m-w.com/dictionary/deduction Merriam-Webster].
==Cultural references==
==Cultural references==
[[Sherlock Holmes]], the [[fictional character|fictional]] [[detective]] created by [[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]], is well known for referring to deductive reasoning in numerous of Doyle's stories. However, Holmes' most famous inferences were arguably cases of [[Abductive reasoning|abduction]].
[[Sherlock Holmes]], the [[fictional character|fictional]] [[detective]] created by [[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]], is well known for referring to deductive reasoning in numerous of Doyle's stories. However, Holmes' most famous inferences were arguably cases of [[Abductive reasoning|abduction]].
==Further reading==
==Further reading==
* [[Vincent F. Hendricks]], ''Thought 2 Talk: A Crash Course in Reflection and Expression'', New York: Automatic Press / VIP, 2005, ISBN 87-991013-7-8
* [[Vincent F. Hendricks]], ''Thought 2 Talk: A Crash Course in Reflection and Expression'', New York: Automatic
Press / VIP, 2005, ISBN 87-991013-7-8
* Zarefsky, David, ''Argumentation: The Study of Effective Reasoning Parts I and II'', The Teaching Company 2002
* Zarefsky, David, ''Argumentation: The Study of Effective Reasoning Parts I and II'', The Teaching Company 2002