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Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning pp 2066–2069Cite as

Logical Reasoning and Learning

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Synonyms

Logical thinking

Definition

Logical reasoning is a form of thinking in which premises and relations between premises are used in a rigorous manner to infer conclusions that are entailed (or implied) by the premises and the relations. Different forms of logical reasoning are recognized in philosophy of science and artificial intelligence. Deductive reasoning, considered typical of mathematics, starts with premises and relations, which lead to a conclusion. For example, if A = B and B = C (the premises), the inevitable conclusion is that A = C because equality is a transitive relation. Note that if A ≠ B and B ≠ C, it is not possible to draw the conclusion that A ≠ C because inequality is not a transitive relation. Inductive reasoning, necessary in empirical sciences, uses observations to arrive at premises as well as relations between premises, which are then used to arrive at conclusions. Inductive reasoning cannot convey the certainty of deductive reasoning: Even if the...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education, University of Oxford, 15 Norham Gardens, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK

    Dr. Terezinha Nunes

Authors
  1. Dr. Terezinha Nunes
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Correspondence to Terezinha Nunes .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Economics and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Education, University of Freiburg, 79085, Freiburg, Germany

    Prof. Dr. Norbert M. Seel

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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Nunes, T. (2012). Logical Reasoning and Learning. In: Seel, N.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_790

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