PHIL 347 Week 3 Discussion 1; Distinguishing Deductive from Inductive Reasoning

Initial Post Instructions Deductive arguments are top-down, working from general principles to specific cases. Inductive reasoning, on the other hand, is bottom-up, working from specific observations and looking for patterns that lead to a general conclusion. Your career path in healthcare and health-related fields will present many problems that will require critical reasoning. Think about potential issues or even issues you have already encountered. Determine what type of critical reasoning - inductive or deductive - best suits the situation - or do you need both? If you are short on ideas, use one of these scenarios as a starting point:  Suppose you are on a committee that has to decide whether to cut nursing staff or social services staff. How would you approach the problem?  Suppose your hospital suddenly sees an enormous increase in emergency room patients, and you are on a committee to investigate the problem and relieve pressure on the ER. How would you approach the problem?