Okuzeka
Philosophy vocabulary · Logic and Argument

Deduction

Meaning in philosophy, with examples

/dɪˈdʌkʃən/nounCore term

In philosophy, deduction means: Reasoning in which the conclusion is meant to follow necessarily from the premises, so that true premises guarantee a true conclusion.

In Turkish: tümdengelim, dedüksiyon, tümdengelimsel çıkarım

How it is used

Contrasted with induction. The adjective deductive is very common (deductive argument, deductive reasoning). The old textbook idea that deduction always goes from the general to the particular is not accurate; what matters is necessity.

Example sentences

  1. Mathematical proofs are the clearest examples of deduction.

  2. Some philosophers argue that deduction alone cannot tell us anything new about the world.

Common collocations

  • deductive reasoning
  • deductive argument
  • by deduction
  • valid deduction
  • inductionReasoning from observed cases to a general conclusion or a prediction, where the premises make the conclusion likely but not certain.
  • validDescribes an argument whose form guarantees that if all the premises are true, the conclusion must be true as well.
  • inferenceThe step of reasoning from one or more statements to another, or the conclusion that is reached by taking that step.
  • syllogismAn argument with two premises and a conclusion, each linking two categories, such as 'All humans are mortal; Socrates is human; so Socrates is mortal'.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Logic and Argument

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: