Deductive and Inductive Inferences and Hume's Argument on Inductive Reasoning

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
Philosophy
Question 1
Induction and deduction inferences are two logics for reasoning. There is a slight difference between the two since both inform people’s reasoning and conclusions about various situations. The primary difference between the two is that inductive inference focuses on creating a theory that can be used to explain various situations, while deductive inference focuses on testing an existing theory (Chapter 7). In inductive reasoning, people make a general conclusion from specific situations. For example, an inductive inference can be used when a researcher observes that a low-cost bus is delayed. The researcher can observe a pattern in the low-cost bus delays where 25 more low-cost buses are delayed. A researcher can develop a theory from this observation pattern that low-cost buses always experience delays.
On the other hand, deductive reasoning is best when a theory is in place explaining a situation. Liew et al. state that “deductive reasoning involves drawing inferences that necessarily follow (or do not follow) from given evidence.” This means that a researcher cannot use deductive reasoning when there is no existing theory. For example, a theor...