Essayabout Deductive and Inductive Reasoning

Deductive reasoning refers to a premise drawn by concrete facts while inductive reasoning is based upon loose conclusions of probability. Within the context of the essay “The Right to be Left Alone,” there are a number of examples of deductive and inductive reasoning.

            In the opening paragraph of the essay, there are clear examples of both forms of reasoning. For example, in the statement that newspaper opinion polls have noted that people are losing faith in the government, we see an example of deductive reasoning.

(The fact that this conclusion derives from the concrete facts of a scientific poll) This statement is them immediately following by a very clear example of inductive reasoning when the author puts forth the notion that politicians have isolated themselves from the American people and this is the root of much of the dissatisfied sentiment. While this notion may very well be true, it is an inferred opinion that is not based on an absolute, concrete fact.

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            The essay then further examines the role of government in the world by explaining how the government should limit its interference in people’s lives. He uses the role of law enforcement as an example of how the government provides protections to its citizenry as a positive example of the role of government, a clear example of deductive reasoning; and then, he moves into a brief mention that the government oversteps its bounds by banning euthanasia, a clear example of inductive reasoning. (we have no clear way to measure the beneficial impact of euthanasia on society so the author is merely speculating when he mentions the benefits of such a practice) In a weird example of reasoning variances, the author mentions his dog’s health is poor in all probability the result of abuse from a  previous owner (deductive) but then professes that the dog can not ‘walk or leave the house’ (Clearly inductive.

How could he assume the dog is incapable of leaving the home?)

            This essay is somewhat interesting in the manner in which it rants its position on the role of government and it is also interesting in the manner in which it combines deductive and inductive reasoning within its pages.