5.4 Types of Inferences

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

  • Define deductive, inductive, and abductive inferences.
  • Classify inferences as deductive, inductive, or abductive.
  • Explain different explanatory virtues used in abductive reasoning.

Inferences can be deductive, inductive, or abductive. Deductive inferences are the strongest because they can guarantee the truth of their conclusions. Inductive inferences are the most widely used, but they do not guarantee the truth and instead deliver conclusions that are probably true. Abductive inferences also deal in probability.

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The content of this course has been taken from the free Philosophy textbook by Openstax