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An Introduction to Logic
And Fallacious Reasoning
Types of Reasoning
Deductive Reasoning A process of reasoning from known
facts to conclusions. Sometimes it can be thought of as
starting from a general statement that is accepted as true to a
specific statement that is therefore true.
Inductive Reasoning A process of reasoning that moves
from making observations to forming conclusions. It can also
be thought of as starting from specific examples and moving
toward a general statement. This is also called inference.
Fallacious Reasoning - false thinking or mistakes in logic.
Fallacious reasoning leads to incorrect conclusions.
Deductive Reasoning
Deductive Reasoning A process of reasoning from known facts
to conclusions, or from a general statement that is accepted as
true to a specific statement that is therefore true.
Deductive arguments often start with a categorical claim, which is
simply a statement that states a relationship between two
categories or events. Examples of categorical claims:
You may see other words like never, sometimes, always, etc.
Categorical claims are important to be analyzed to determine if
they are true, and to see if they support a conclusion.
Argument (Syllogism)
Example 1
We watched a standard
baseball game.
Argument (Syllogism)
Example 2
Inductive Reasoning
A process of reasoning that moves from making
observations to conclusions. This is also called
inference.
Inductive reasoning can also be thought of as theory
building.
Successful inductive reasoning depends on the quality of
your observations, or evidence.
If the quality of the observations are not good enough, or
if not enough observations have been made, inductive
reasoning may not be as dependable as deductive
reasoning.
Fallacious Reasoning
Fallacious Reasoning means false thinking or
mistakes in logic.
May be based on: mistakes in logic or
incomplete information.
Fallacious reasoning leads to false conclusions.
Inductive reasoning is where we sometimes see
examples of fallacious reasoning (black swan).
Examples of Fallacious
Reasoning
Type and Definition
Examples
Hasty Generalization
Conclusions made from weak or
insufficient evidence
Stereotyping
Believing that all members of a
group share a certain
characteristic
More Examples of
Fallacious Reasoning
Type and Definition
Examples
Examples
False Analogy
Relying only on comparisons
to prove a point rather than
arguing deductively and
inductively
Appeal to Fear
Using a claim that is intended
to produce fear instead of
being actual evidence to
support the claim.
Logical Arguments
A logical argument is a group of statements, called
premises, that are claimed to provide support for, or are
reasons to believe, a conclusion.
Note that these statements or premises can be either
true or false.
To reach a logical conclusion, all premises or statements
leading up to the conclusion must support it.
Some premises may be categorical claims, such as
those presented earlier.
Examples of Arguments
Argument 1:
(Premise) Isaac can fix anything electric.
(Premise) The electric switch in my lamp
is broken.
(Conclusion)Isaac can fix my lamp.
What type of reasoning is this?
Logic Problems
Argument 2:
Lars needs a notebook for some of his
classes.
Lars has three notebooks.
Conclusion: Lars is in three classes.
What type of reasoning is this?
Logic Problems
Argument 3:
(Premise) I have 5 dogs for pets.
(Premise) Three of them learned to lie down and
roll over.
(Premise)Three of my dogs were Scotties and
two were Collies.
Conclusion: My collies never learned to lie down
and roll over.