Deduction - a method of Sherlock Holmes?

In higher education the concept of "induction" and "deduction" is often used, but rarely explained.Therefore, many of habit they are used, telling the exam on the methods of a science (depending on the subject matter checked).But if you ask those responsible bouncy examples, many are lost.Especially hard to tell them what different induction and deduction.This is the traditional question many stretched ticket number one.

Wildcats insights

Induction - is a method of knowing when a plurality of individual cases concerning the conclusion of the general laws.That's what made his discoveries, Newton, Mendel, Tesla.Induction - a productive method, however, is very risky.For example, never having seen black swans, it can be assumed that all swans - white.That is, when dealing with induction need to be careful and always be aware of "Black Swan".

reasoning detective number 1

Another thing - the deduction.This work with existing laws.Many know the word on the books about Sherlock Holmes.Sometimes you can find the opinion that it actually works by induction.Yet the science of deduction, Watson taught, it lives up to its name.Before proceeding with the investigation of the crime, Holmes carefully studied the anatomy of the judiciary, the color of sand in different regions of London reports.That is, he got acquainted with the general laws.And then, seeing concrete facts, tied them with the general provisions.That is, he did not establish a new "theory" on the stage of the investigation, it is his knowledge of the total went to private.It turns out, the induction of his work was also, but at the stage of general training yourself as an expert.And faced with a crime, Holmes applied the deduction.

a simple example

But what is the deduction?This reasoning from the general to the particular.Since the days of school each of us remembers the qualitative reactions that allow us to determine the presence of a substance in a test tube.What does the deduction?Examples of qualitative reaction, when the student has knowledge that, for example, should be a "silver mirror" if in vitro have aldehydes - is an example of general knowledge.And the disciple sees plenochku characteristic color!Private - fact.With deduction student concludes - in a test tube has an aldehyde.

Pathfinder and the user

That is induction and deduction - it is not just the arguments is a way of obtaining new knowledge.If it is a chemist who discovered silver mirror reaction, for him to establish that so we can calculate the aldehyde - inductive inference.But for the student knowledge about the fact that it is in a test tube - deductively established knowledge.

deduction is often accused of unproductive, they say, it does not help to establish new about the world.In fact, without it, too, it is impossible to explore the world, because usually when you open a scientist, and takes into account the known patterns, that is, uses, and deduction and induction.Our thinking is very difficult and requires various operations to understand everything correctly.After all, the world is not easy, and that has to complicate the model of his understanding.