What is Logical Reasoning?

Logical reasoning forms one of those aptitude tests that have been employed in recent times by corporate employers to check up on prospective candidates during the recruitment process. It indicates the ability to draw a conclusion logically from some statements or an argument and establishes the strengths and weaknesses of the same argument.

Types of Logical Reasoning

There are primarily three types of logical reasoning:

• Deductive Reasoning: The process of applying logical rules in deducting other facts using a given set of facts or data. It takes the basis of its foundation from valid premises, which would lead to a valid conclusion. Deductive reasoning does not introduce new information; instead, it changes the arrangement of known information to say other statements or even truths.
• Inductive Reasoning: In this type of reasoning, there is a search for patterns or trends within a set of data, followed by generalization. Since the conclusion might not always be true, inductive reasoning is based on probabilities. Inductive reasoning makes assumptions about the data and extrapolates from it to reach conclusions.
• Abductive Reasoning: This is a type of reasoning where one makes an educated guess from the available information. Abductive reasoning is similar to inductive reasoning, but it depends more on the probabilities of an event happening.

Formal and Informal Logic Reasoning

Apart from the three above, there are two subcategories of logical reasoning:

• Formal Reasoning: In this type of reasoning, one has to draw a conclusion based on valid premises according to logical rules.
• Informal Reasoning: This is a kind of reasoning that deals with the probabilities and truths about premises and conclusion to make inductions. Putting It All Together

Since there are two subcategories combined with three main types, we have six identifiable kinds of logical reasoning:

• Deductive
  • Purely formal deductive reasoning
  • Informal deductive reasoning
• Inductive
  • Formal inductive reasoning
  • Informal inductive reasoning
• Abductive
  • Formal abductive reasoning
  • Informal abductive reasoning

When Conclusions May Seem Obvious but be Logically Correct

It is important to highlight that the conclusion made through logical reasoning may look evidently incorrect for the uninformed eye but still be logically right with the use of one of the types mentioned above. This is so because the validity of premises and conclusion depend on the type of logical reasoning used.

Conclusion

Finally, logical reasoning plays a significant role in critical thinking because it shows how a thinker comes to a particular view or conclusion with evidence. Logical reasoning helps an individual comprehend various types of reasoning and handle complex problems by providing accurate conclusions.