Inductive reasoning

Inductive reasoning uses observations or specific cases to support conclusions that extend beyond them, without guaranteeing those conclusions.

Enumerative induction: An inference that generalizes a pattern observed in a sample to a larger population. It generalizes from observed instances to unobserved members of the same population.
Deductive reasoning: Reasoning in which a conclusion follows necessarily from its premises if they are true. Unlike induction, valid deduction guarantees its conclusion when its premises hold.
Scientific method: A systematic approach to developing and testing explanations through observation and experiment. Scientific inquiry uses repeated observations to build and revise general claims.
Abduction: Inference to the best explanation of observed evidence. Abduction seeks an explanatory hypothesis, while induction commonly projects patterns or estimates.
Statistical inference: The use of sample data to estimate population properties or assess hypotheses. It formalizes how sample observations support conclusions about a population.
Premise: A proposition offered as support for a conclusion in an argument. Inductive arguments use observations as premises, but those premises do not entail their conclusions.
Scientific induction: The use of experimental and observational results to support general scientific claims. It applies inductive support to laws, mechanisms, and patterns in nature.
Causal inference: Methods for estimating whether and how one factor causes changes in another. Causal conclusions require more than observing that events or traits occur together.
Abductive reasoning: Inference to the explanation that would best account for available evidence. It moves from observations to explanations, rather than primarily to generalizations or predictions.
Conclusion: A proposition that an argument's premises are intended to support. Inductive conclusions extend beyond the observations used to support them.

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