Unlike a deductive argument, which claims that its conclusion necessarily follows from the premises, an inductive argument claims that its conclusion probably follows from the premises. Inductive arguments are thus classified as stronger or weaker rather than true or false. I used an inductive argument just this morning when I was trying to decide when I should leave for school. I considered that, I take the highway every morning. Every morning I am stuck in traffic. Chances are I will be stuck in traffic this morning. With that in mind, I left my apartment twenty minutes earlier than usual and was not thrown off by the morning traffic. This is an inductive argument because it is based in probability, not necessity. There was still a chance that there would be no traffic at all and I would arrive much earlier rather than right on time. It also had key words such as chances are in its conclusion.
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteI like how you explained right away what an inductive argument is and how it differs from a deductive argument. That way your readers also learn how to break down the inductive argument you are about to explain. My sister and I both go to SJSU and she was the one who would drive (I still haven’t gotten my license :P). We always would just take the side streets because sometimes there’s more traffic on the freeway even though it should be faster. Of course, it depends on where you live though. But since we lived relatively near, we just drove through the side streets. It’s cool to see how often we use inductive reasoning, even if it’s as simple as driving. :)
Hey blog cobb,
ReplyDeleteI also like how you go into depth about inductive arguments and how they relate to situations. I also like how you showed how they differed from deductive arguments. I also like you example, it was short and to the point. The whole situation with driving on the street versus driving on the freeway is such a common thing that everyone goes through. I also constantly question whether to take the streets or take the freeway to get to school. Good job making this one relate to many people
Thanks,
-Greekguy