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== Deductive vs. Cumulative Structures ==

== Deductive vs. Cumulative Structures ==

See also: [[Inductive reasoning]] and [[Principle of induction]]

''See also:'' [[Inductive reasoning]] and [[Principle of induction]] and [[Deduction]] and [[Deductive thinking]]

Structured logic writing can follow either a deductive or a cumulative ([[Inductive reasoning|inductive]]) structure, and the two make different kinds of promises to the reader.

Structured logic writing can follow either a [[Deduction|deductive]] or a cumulative ([[Inductive reasoning|inductive]]) structure, and the two make different kinds of promises to the reader.

Deductive structures are built on syllogisms: if the premises are true and the logical form is valid, the conclusion necessarily follows. A classic example is "All men are mortal; Socrates is a man; therefore Socrates is mortal." Deductive writing is powerful when the premises themselves are secure, since the conclusion carries the same certainty as the premises. Its main vulnerability is the premises — a deductive argument is only as strong as its weakest premise, and a reader who rejects one premise can reject the entire conclusion regardless of how valid the logical form is.

Deductive structures are built on syllogisms: if the premises are true and the logical form is valid, the conclusion necessarily follows. A classic example is "All men are mortal; Socrates is a man; therefore Socrates is mortal." Deductive writing is powerful when the premises themselves are secure, since the conclusion carries the same certainty as the premises. Its main vulnerability is the premises — a deductive argument is only as strong as its weakest premise, and a reader who rejects one premise can reject the entire conclusion regardless of how valid the logical form is.