With this in mind, the forms of reasoning are simply different ways we can consider collections of statements and draw conclusions. Then, propositional logic describes the logical rule-sets that govern arguments constructed from these parts which allow us to reason toward conclusions. The idea will be to not only list the different reasoning types, but to explain some of their complexities and to illustrate how they work together within the bounds of formal logic and reason.īasic definitions of logic and reason and the anatomy of an argument: In plain English, a “ term” is a concept in a statement (a subject or predicate), a “ proposition” is a statement in which terms are connected by “ logical connectors” (like: and, or, not), “ premises” are a collection of statements that make the case for an argument (likewise a single premise is a single statement that makes the case for an argument), an “ inference” is a conclusion to a premise(s), and an “ argument” is a collection of statements (premises and inferences).
Discuss the basics of logic and reason (“propositional logic” specifically), including the basics of argument forms such as the syllogism, some rule-sets of the argument forms, and the anatomy of arguments (in terms of structure and in terms of how to tell if an argument is weak, strong, cogent, uncogent, valid, invalid, sound, or unsound).
Offer explanations of other formal and informal reasoning types (including complex types).Provide detailed explanations of deduction, induction, and abduction (the main forms of reasoning) illustrated by many examples.Provide a list of different reasoning types.
Scroll down for a full list of reasoning types, or follow the order of the page for a detailed explanation of human reason in its different forms. We explain and compare the different types of reasoning methods including deductive, inductive, abductive, analogical, and fallacious reasoning.
Understanding the Different Types of Logical Reasoning Methods and Argumentation