Deductive and Inductive reasoning by Victor Mushimbami - Friday, 17 June, 2022, time: 9:30 AM

   

It is important to know that the word Science means knowledge, and scientists seek answers concerning questions about our physical universe. In order to find answers, they use two types of reasoning, which help to solve our problems. These are: Inductive and Deductive reasoning. First, let us look at both of them, compare and contrast them. Finally, I will conclude by which one I prefer the most.

Hypothesis-based science, which is usually deductive, begins with a specific question or problem and a potential answer or solution that can be tested. (Pexels-photo)

Deductive Reasoning

In defining it, Connie et al. (2016) give us a perfect definition of deductive reasoning: "Deductive reason or deduction is the type of logic used in hypothesis-based Science." (Science of Biology, Para. 11).

What does that mean? Deductive reasoning means using general ideas or rules to make specific predictions or conclusions. For example: The room might be hot, "if I opened the windows the room would cool." There could be three or more predictions, however, all the predictions should not be considered as true until they are tested. (Connie, 2016).

For the sake of clarity, deductive reasoning starts with a question about why something has happened, or what really caused it to occur. Then, possible answers are suggested in the "if" statement. For example: The room might be hot, "if I opened the windows the room would cool." There could be three or more answers, but all the answers should not be considered as true until they go through a test. (Connie, 2016).

What is this test called? This test is what is known as "Hypothesis driven Science." There should be an experiment to test the deductive reasoning. Uopeople (2021) also adds on how this hypothesis should be: "an effective hypothesis must be narrow/specific in focus." (Learning Guide).

Finally, I will conclude with a personal example:


Dorcas Mushimbami on her first trimester. (Home - photo)


First trimester pregnancy

My wife is expecting another baby. She is in her first trimester. It doesn't go too well with her, she vomits a lot. Now, I had a question: Why is she vomiting without eating anything? I started looking at what might help her stop vomiting and here are my possible answers: If she starts taking in vitamins, she might stop vomiting. Maybe she is just lacking vitamins; maybe the diet should be changed. If we change her diet she might stop vomiting; maybe it is taking in large amount of food. If we stop giving her lot of food in one sitting, she might stop vomiting. Remember, these were not true because they were not tested yet and we know vomiting is normal, especially in the first trimester. But it can sometimes be abnormal like in my wife's case. I tested my hypotheses by doing it one at a time. What I mean is that, if large amount of food made her vomit a lot, I started giving her small amount of food and observed how it went.

After the results, I found out that she lacked vitamins and there was a need to change the diet. She is now eating food rich in vitamins and we have balanced her diet. She is now doing well, if she vomits, it is more normal. B vitamins are helping her a lot.

Let us now move on to the second reasoning.

Descriptive (or discovery) science, which is usually inductive, aims to observe, explore, and discover (Pexels-photo).

Inductive Reasoning

In Inductive reasoning, all answers should be observation-based answers. There should be no conclusion before proper observation. The reasoning goes with evidence. There can be a lot of things involved, however, Connie et al. (2016) give us a good one. “Inductive reasoning involves formulating generalizations inferred from careful observation and analysis of a large amount of data.” (The Science of Biology, Chapter 1).

I observed my baby’s health a couple of days ago. Her body started getting hotter than normal. I also observed that water tasted bitter than usual. She could ask for water and cry bitter after tasting it. Apart from that, I also observed that the reason she was not down was because she was eating a balanced diet. After these careful observations, I concluded that it was malaria. My wife took her to the hospital and there it is. They gave her medicines and she recovered after three days.

Both Inductive and deductive reasoning are useful to advance knowledge or rather “scientia”. We could test the data we collected using proper observation. Using them at the same time will make the results more accurate.

References

Connie, R. et al. (2016). Biology. OpenStax. Retrieved from https://openstax.org/books/biology/pages/1-1-the-science-of-biology

University of the people. (2021). Learning Guide: Biology 1301. Retrieved from https://my.uopeople.edu/mod/book/view.php?id=295659&chapterid=343260

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