There are no chocolate stains on my hands, so I couldn’t have stolen the cookies.” Does this example require deductive or inductive logic?
inductive
To determine whether the example requires deductive or inductive logic, we need to understand the difference between the two.
Deductive logic is a form of reasoning where specific conclusions are drawn from general principles, known as premises. In deductive reasoning, if the premises are true, then the conclusion must also be true.
Inductive logic, on the other hand, is a form of reasoning where general conclusions are drawn based on specific observations or evidence. Inductive reasoning is probabilistic, which means that the conclusion is likely to be true but not guaranteed.
In the given example, the statement "There are no chocolate stains on my hands, so I couldn’t have stolen the cookies" is based on an observation of not having chocolate stains on the hands. It is not a general principle but rather a specific observation. Therefore, this example requires inductive logic since it draws a general conclusion (not stealing the cookies) based on a specific observation (no chocolate stains on the hands).
If deductive logic were used, it would require a general principle to be established first (e.g., "If someone stole cookies, they would have chocolate stains on their hands"), which is not present in this example.