Question

This week, you will focus on deductive reasoning within print ads and commercials. Your job is to identify 2-3 examples of where deductive reasoning is flawed or problematic. After identifying the missing premise within deductive reasoning, you will provide an assessment and advice on how the business or company can improve their reasoning. Make sure to include how deductive reasoning can be persuasive and personal, as this type of reasoning requires the individual to fill in the premise. You will create this within your Module 04 Google Doc that you created when you set up your portfolio folder. This module’s entry should be 3-5 pages once completed.

Answer 1

Invalid Deductive Reasoning Examples

Deductive reasoning is a logical process where a conclusion is based on premises that are frequently assumed to be true. A premise is a statement we use in our argument that is believed to be true. According to the rules of logic, if your premises are true, then your conclusion is also true. In the business world, this means if your data is true, then your conclusion is true.

Even with two solid premises, sometimes, deductive reasoning goes wrong. Here are a few examples of just that:

• All swans are white. Jane is white. Therefore, Jane is a swan.

• All farmers like burgers. Jethro likes chicken wings. Therefore, Jethro is not a farmer.

• All actors are handsome. Tom Cruise is handsome. Therefore, Tom Cruise is an actor.

Logic and Reasoning in Business

Have you ever struggled to make a decisive business decision? The answer is yes. Everyone in the business world struggles to make the best decisions. Logic is a tool we can use to help us make better business decisions.

Logic is the process of using rational reasoning in order to make a valid argument. We use logic to make a point, make a decision, or convince others to agree with us. If you want to convince your co-workers that Friday should be a casual dress day, you need to make a valid argument to convince others that this change is needed. It might look like this:

• Companies who implement a casual dress day experience an increase in employee morale.
• Improved employee morale increases productivity.
• Therefore, making Friday a casual dress day will increase productivity.

With the use of a valid argument, it is much more likely that you will get a casual dress day. There are different types of logic, and there are rules to using logic. Understanding some logic basics will help you make better business decisions.

Reasoning by Deduction

Deduction begins with a broad truth (the major premise), such as the statement that all men are mortal. This is followed by the minor premise, a more specific statement, such as that Socrates is a man. A conclusion follows: Socrates is mortal. If the major premise is true and the minor premise is true the conclusion cannot be false.

Deductive reasoning is black and white; a conclusion is either true or false and cannot be partly true or partly false. We decide whether a deductive statement is true by assessing the strength of the link between the premises and the conclusion. If all men are mortal and Socrates is a man, there is no way he can not be mortal, for example. There are no situations in which the premise is not true, so the conclusion is true.

In science, deduction is used to reach conclusions believed to be true. A hypothesis is formed; then evidence is collected to support it. If observations support its truth, the hypothesis is confirmed. Statements are structured in the form of “if A equals B, and C is A, then C is B.” If A does not equal B, then C will not equal B. Science also involves inductive reasoning when broad conclusions are drawn from specific observations; data leads to conclusions. If the data shows a tangible pattern, it will support a hypothesis.

For example, having seen ten white swans, we could use inductive reasoning to conclude that all swans are white. This hypothesis is easier to disprove than to prove, and the premises are not necessarily true, but they are true given the existing evidence and given that researchers cannot find a situation in which it is not true. By combining both types of reasoning, science moves closer to the truth. In general, the more outlandish a claim is, the stronger the evidence supporting it must be.

We should be wary of deductive reasoning that appears to make sense without pointing to a truth. Someone could say “A dog has four paws. My pet has four paws. Therefore, my pet is a dog.” The conclusion sounds logical but isn’t, because the initial premise is too specific.

In concluding,

No discussion of logic is complete without a refresher course in the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning. By its strictest definition, inductive reasoning proves a general principle—your idea worth spreading—by highlighting a group of specific events, trends, or observations. In contrast, deductive reasoning builds up to a specific principle—again, your idea worth spreading—through a chain of increasingly narrow statements.

Logic is an incredibly important skill, and because we use it so often in everyday life, we benefit by clarifying the methods we use to draw conclusions. Knowing what makes an argument sound is valuable for making decisions and understanding how the world works. It helps us to spot people who are deliberately misleading us through unsound arguments. Understanding reasoning is also helpful for avoiding fallacies and for negotiating.