How to develop deductive thinking?

How to develop deduction (deductive abilities)

In logic, the science of correct thinking, there are two types of inferences - deduction and induction. The word “deduction” comes from the Latin deductio, which means “deduction.” Deduction is a method of thinking in which the particular is deduced logically, as a result of a chain of inferences, from the general situation. That is, this is a type of reasoning from the general to the specific.

The term “deduction” not so long ago was known only to a narrow circle of specialists, but thanks to the hero of Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective novels Sherlock Holmes, who was called the master of the deductive method, the whole world learned about deduction.

Sherlock Holmes, starting from the general - the complete picture of the crime with its possible participants, went to the specific - looked at everyone who could have committed it, studied the motives, capabilities, behavior, and through logical conclusions determined the criminal, presenting him with indisputable evidence.

The simplest example of deductive reasoning:

all metals are capable of conducting current;
silver is a metal;
therefore, silver also conducts current.

The method of deduction is opposed to the method of induction - when a conclusion is made on the basis of reasoning going from the particular to the general. For example:

the Yenisei Irtysh and Lena rivers flow from south to north;
the Yenisei, Irtysh and Lena rivers are Siberian rivers;
therefore, all Siberian rivers flow from south to north.

Of course, these are simplified examples of deduction and induction. Conclusions must be based on experience, knowledge and specific facts. Otherwise, it would be impossible to avoid generalizations and draw erroneous conclusions. For example, “All men are deceivers, so you are a deceiver too.” Or “Vova is lazy, Tolik is lazy and Yura is lazy, which means all men are lazy.”

In everyday life, we use the simplest versions of deduction and induction without even realizing it. For example, when we see a disheveled man running headlong, we think he’s probably late for something. Or, looking out the window in the morning and noticing that the asphalt is strewn with wet leaves, we can assume that it rained and there was a strong wind at night. We tell the child not to sit late on a weekday, because we assume that then he will sleep through school, not have breakfast, etc.

Why develop inductive and deductive abilities?

Deductive methods became known from the books of Arthur Conan Doyle about the legendary detective named Sherlock Holmes. This detective masterfully found the criminal, because he first suspected everyone, and then studied each of the potential villains, cutting off the unnecessary ones by the method of elimination. Not a single detail escaped Holmes's attentive gaze, so he successfully unraveled seemingly dead-end cases. Why does a person need deductive abilities in the modern world? This is an integral part of logical thinking. Without them, any acceptably high level of intelligence is impossible. Deductive reasoning is usually done automatically. In other words, a person makes almost no effort to draw, for example, the following consistent conclusions:

All children love cartoons.
Vasya is a child.
Therefore, Vasya loves cartoons.

The reverse method of inference is called induction. It is worth noting that in life we are not so categorical and do not make hasty conclusions based on deductive or inductive methods. Statements can be based on specific facts, life experiences and previously made conclusions. Otherwise, erroneous conclusions appear. In the example above, in fact, not all children love cartoons, since there are children with impaired vision or hearing. But there may also be people who have not seen the cartoons and know nothing about them.

Deductive and inductive methods of logical thinking are very useful in everyday life. Every day a person makes hundreds of conclusions based on only a small amount of information. Seeing a crowd of people and remembering that today is Saturday, a person can confidently announce that a sale has begun. Knowing the characteristics of other people's behavior, we can cheer up a person who is sad, without even asking him about the reasons for his bad mood.

What he does is real. But what is he doing?

He acts, demonstrates his arrogance, pride and... remarkable intelligence. All this is justified by the ease with which he solves crimes. But how does he do it?

Sherlock Holmes's main weapon is the deductive method. Logic backed by intense attention to detail and outstanding intelligence.

To this day there is debate as to whether Holmes uses deduction or induction. But most likely the truth is somewhere in the middle. Sherlock Holmes accumulates his reasoning, experience, clues to the most complicated cases, systematizes them, collecting them into a common base, which he then successfully uses, using both deduction and induction. He does it brilliantly.

Most critics and researchers are inclined to believe that Conan Doyle did not make mistakes and Holmes really uses the deductive method. For simplicity of presentation, further we will talk about it.

Deductive thinking in the life of every professional

It is important for all people to develop deductive abilities, but they will be most useful for representatives of the following professions:

Investigator
Judge
Lawyer
Detective

For human learners, deduction is very useful. It is this property of logical thinking that allows you not only to remember, but to assimilate the material.

Deductive methods help doctors make decisions that may affect a person’s life.

If we recall such intellectual shows as “What? Where? When?”, we can understand that victory in the rounds of the game is not achieved by the amount of encyclopedic knowledge of team members. Namely, the ability to analyze particulars and patterns. This is where such skills will be in full demand!

Every person needs deductive abilities, but they should be developed. This is a part of logical thinking that is improved with regular training.

How can deduction be applied in practice?

Judging by the way Sherlock Holmes unravels detective stories using the deductive method, it can be adopted by investigators, lawyers, and law enforcement officers. However, mastery of the deductive method will be useful in any field of activity: students will be able to quickly understand and remember the material better, managers or doctors will be able to make the only correct decision, etc.

There is probably no area of human life where the deductive method would not be useful. With its help, you can draw conclusions about the people around you, which is important when building relationships with them. It develops observation, logical thinking, memory and simply makes you think, preventing the brain from aging ahead of time. After all, our brain needs training no less than our muscles.

Tips for developing deduction

So, deductive abilities should be developed in conjunction with logical thinking. It is very important to be patient and attentive here. Deduction does not tolerate haste; its methods can be compared to unraveling a ball of thread. If you make one careless movement, the knot becomes tighter. To train deductive abilities, it is important to follow several rules.

Solve problems

In the process of any intellectual activity, slow thinking is trained. Solve problems in the exact sciences: physics, mathematics, chemistry. True, for this you will have to restore forgotten school-level knowledge.

What to do if you have been burning with hatred for general sciences since your school days? There is an exit! You can purchase several problem books, which contain games that develop deduction, puzzles, and puzzles, and solve one problem at a time, for example, during your lunch break or before bed. There are other ways to develop logic.

Chess and poker also contribute to the development of logic.

Study not superficially, but deeply

Expand your horizons, discovering new facets of science, culture and art. There are no small details in deduction, which is why pay attention to small details that help make conclusions. You can train by watching films and observing storylines when the outcome is not known in advance. To make deduction training less boring, spend more time traveling. It is during travel and relaxation that the human brain receives incomparable impulses that allow one to train intellectual abilities.

Expand your horizons

Only a comprehensively developed personality is able to draw conclusions based on a base of knowledge and experience. Otherwise it will just be guesswork. Expand your horizons. Deep knowledge in many areas can become a support in making the right decisions and making logical judgments.

Dictionaries, encyclopedias, reference books, films, books and travel will provide you with an invaluable service.

Observation and attentiveness are two assistants to deduction

Careful observation of many details helps not only to draw the right conclusions, but also to identify several options for solving the problem. Life experience and past conclusions help predict the development of the situation with great accuracy and draw the right conclusions.

Observation in life is a very useful skill that contributes to the development of deductive thinking. You can observe not only people, their behavior, manner of voice, but also natural phenomena, weather, animals. In any case, an observant person will process the information received better and draw conclusions from it.

By the way, the genius of the deductive method, Sherlock Holmes, used his pipe and also played the violin to increase concentration. Today, many people are helped to concentrate by a simple rule - giving up gadgets for a while. If you turn off your phone, computer, and TV for a while, you can better focus on finding ways to solve a problem.

What does the mind of Sherlock Holmes do?

Deductive method

This is the detective's main weapon, which, however, would not work without a number of additional components.

Attention

Sherlock Holmes captures even the smallest details. If not for this skill, he simply would not have material for reasoning, evidence and leads.

Knowledge base

The detective himself said it best:

All crimes show great generic similarity. They (Scotland Yard agents) introduce me to the circumstances of a particular case. Knowing the details of a thousand cases, it would be strange not to solve the thousand and one.

Sherlock Holmes

The palaces of the mind

This is his excellent memory. This is the repository that he turns to almost every time he is looking for a solution to a new riddle. This is the knowledge, circumstances and facts accumulated by Holmes, a significant part of which cannot be obtained anywhere else.

Constant analysis

Sherlock Holmes analyzes, reflects, asks questions and answers them. Often he even resorts to double analysis, it is not in vain that the detective constantly acts together with his partner Dr. Watson.

Be observant

How to develop the method of deduction? When communicating with other people, not only listen, but also look. It is useful to note the facial expressions and gestures of the interlocutor, the timbre of his voice and the intonation with which he speaks about a particular event. In this way, you can reveal a person’s intentions, find out how sincere, truthful and friendly he is.

To develop observation skills, it is useful to look at strangers: passers-by on the street, customers in a store, and others. Try to mentally guess where the man standing in line for milk works, where the long-haired girl with a large package is going, what kind of character the guy standing at the bus stop has, and so on. Observe the person’s face, hands, shoes, dress, bag... Try to guess his preferences and habits, what he does, without asking him about it. Of course, try to do this as inconspicuously as possible - no one likes to be scrutinized.

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This article was produced by our experienced team of editors and researchers, who reviewed it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Categories: Personal Development

In other languages:

English: Develop the 'Sherlock Holmes' Intuition, Italiano: Sviluppare l'Intuito alla Maniera di Sherlock Holmes, Español: desarrollar la intuición de Sherlock Holmes, Português: Desenvolver a Intuição de Sherlock Holmes, Français: développer l'intuition de Sherlock Holmes, Deutsch: Eine Intuition wie Sherlock Holmes entwickeln, 中文: 培养福尔摩斯式的直觉能力, Nederlands: Intuïtie als die van Sherlock Holmes ontwikkelen, Tiếng Việt: Phát triển trực giác “Sherlock Homes ", العربية: التمتع بسرعة بديهة شارلوك هولمز

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Develop flexibility of thinking

Try to solve problems and tasks in several ways: look for both the second and third solutions, look at them from different angles, look for a different point of view. This will be useful in choosing the optimal solution. It is worth listening to the opinions of other people, because their versions are a different vision of the situation. In this case, your knowledge and experience will add up to the knowledge and experience of others, and therefore increase the likelihood of making the right decision.

Don't forget about memory

You probably remember the episode where Sherlock doesn't remember that the Earth revolves around the Sun. No, it’s not at all a matter of the great detective’s poor memory. He admits that he deliberately cleared his brain of unnecessary information. What conclusions can be drawn from this? Firstly, memory can and should be trained: you will be surprised how much information your brain can accommodate. Secondly, the choice of information should be approached responsibly. Don't clutter your head with numerous advertising posters, stupid literature and low-brow films. Remember: this will all be stored in your memory. Therefore, it is worth considering: do you really need this information?

How to develop?

First you need to learn to distinguish and differentiate subjective thinking from objective thinking. Because each of us has our own opinions, views, images, etc., and sometimes, when we meet someone, associations arise in our heads with this person, attributing certain characteristics to him. Let me give you a simple example: A man didn’t show up for a date, and the idea immediately arose that he was a liar, a deceiver, and generally a bad person. You must immediately delete his number, block him and never communicate. This is if it's subjective. But if you understand the situation, find out the opinions of other people to find out whether it coincides with yours, it will become clear that in fact, on the way to you, he heard cries for help and rushed to save the drowning children, whom he then took to their homes parents. Psychologists call this process reality testing. Therefore, whenever you doubt your objectivity, try to discuss this issue with someone.
It is also important to develop attentiveness; it is especially valuable to learn to notice details and nuances. And for this you need to train both voluntary and involuntary attention.

Voluntary attention is our concentration

Remember how sometimes Sherlock Holmes seemed completely indifferent when he was told about some tragedy? He had a stone face and sometimes didn’t even look at his interlocutor. And not because he doesn’t know how to empathize, he simply concentrated and pushed his subjective assessments and emotions aside. Remember, in the article about time management I talked about various methods so as not to be distracted by various irritants?

Well, for example, the pomodoro method. Start practicing, then you can, like Sherlock, automatically focus on the necessary things. It is believed that a person can be focused at most for about 20 minutes, but with the help of training it is quite possible to significantly increase this figure. Start right now by installing, for example, the “Freedom” program on your computer; it limits access to social networks and mail for the time you specify.

Look for the so-called “entertaining tables”; numbers from 1 to 90 are randomly scattered in them, and you need to find each one in turn. If you practice daily, the results will not be long in coming. There are such exercises on this site.

Involuntary – passive and does not require effort

Simply put, it is a natural reaction to a stimulus that arouses interest. To develop it, you will have to observe something familiar, while changing the background. For example, look around your office first in silence, then with pleasant music and unpleasant noise. The essence of the task is that over time you will be able to focus on the necessary details without falling out due to some external irritant. Also, when on the street or in a public place, observe people, looking closely at minor details, trying to explain them logically to yourself. Look at the article about meditation, it describes a wonderful way to concentrate using a candle.

And that’s not all, by the way. Holmes achieved such colossal success thanks to the development of the ability of post-voluntary attention. That is, when some task becomes commonplace, and the focus of attention remains on the subject automatically. This is a very useful ability. Studies have been conducted that have shown that with post-voluntary attention, the psyche gets the opportunity to rest and unload.

This happens because the brain does not need to waste energy on maintaining focus on the task and searching for its solution. To make it clearer, I will give an example: A first-grade student makes every effort to complete his homework. By force of will you have to stay at the table with uninteresting lessons instead of playing ball with friends. But over time, this process becomes a habit and becomes commonplace. And only in rare cases does he have to engage active attention.

Why develop the method of deduction?

Every day we have to deal with proving the truth of statements in a wide variety of situations. The method of deduction is widely used in all areas of our lives and has a huge impact on the truth of certain judgments. Suppose you or someone you know gets into a very unpleasant situation. An investigation is underway, there is a crime, there is a defendant, detectives, lawyers, prosecutors, judges. One conclusion must be drawn: is the person guilty or innocent? To do this, you must be able to both substantiate a person’s guilt and prove his innocence.

The outcome, and, most importantly, the correctness of the final conclusion, is of great importance for a person who finds himself in such a difficult situation. Therefore, it is extremely important to draw conclusions about his guilt or innocence from the available facts, convincingly, conclusively and correctly. And this is just one example. There are many situations in which the truth of certain statements is important. This is why knowledge and understanding of how to develop deduction is useful to anyone.

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Puzzles

Everyone probably knows the riddles. There are a great many of them and they perfectly develop logic. If you can't guess the riddle, don't rush to look at the answers. Try to logically come to the answer yourself, even if it takes you a few days.

Examples of riddles for logic and thinking:

Two people approach the river. There is a boat at the shore that can only support one. Both people crossed to the opposite bank. How?
Where does it happen that a horse jumps over a horse?
Sherlock Holmes walked down the street. And suddenly he saw a dead woman lying on the ground. He walked over, opened her bag and took out her phone. He found her husband's number in the phone book. He called. He says: “Come here urgently. Your wife is dead." And after a while the husband arrives. He looks at his wife and says: “Oh, honey, what happened to you???” Then the police arrive. Sherlock points his finger at the woman’s husband and says, “Arrest this man. He killed her." Question: Why did Sherlock think that?
The jar is on the table. It stands so that one half of it is in the air, and the other is on the table. What is in the jar if it falls in half an hour? And why?
A man went to sea and got caught in a storm. He was carried to an island where there were no men, and only girls lived. In the morning he woke up covered in ropes at some ritual and found out that they wanted to kill him. And he asked for the last word. After he voiced it, the girls made him a boat, gave him food and water, and sent him home. What did he say?
A 1st grade student solves this riddle in 5 minutes, a high school student in 15 minutes, a student in 1 hour, but a professor will never solve it. Riddle: decipher ODTCHPSHSVDD.
It is known that among the nine coins there is one counterfeit one, which has less weight than the others. How can you identify a counterfeit coin in two weighings using a cup scale?
Cat – 3, horse – 5, rooster – 8, donkey – 2, cuckoo – 4, frog – 3. Dog – ?
Three criminals met: the bugbear Belov, the burglar Chernov and the pickpocket Ryzhov. “The amazing thing is that one of us has black hair, the second one has white hair, and the third one has red hair, but none of us have the same hair color as the last name,” said the black-haired man. “And, really...” said the bugbear Belov. What color is the pickpocket's hair?
A father and two sons went on a hike. On their way they met a river, near the bank of which there was a raft. It can support either a father or two sons on the water. How can father and sons cross to the other side?

Answers:

They were on different banks.
In chess.
Because Holmes did not tell his husband the address.
Ice.
Let the ugliest one kill me.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.
First weighing: 3 and 3 coins. The counterfeit coin is in the pile that weighs less. If the piles are equal, then the fake is in the third pile. Second weighing: from the pile with the least weight, 1 and 1 coin are compared. If they are equal, then the remaining coin is fake.
Cat – “meow” (3), horse – “ee-go-go” (5), rooster – “cuck-ka-re-coo” (8), donkey – “ee-a” (2), cuckoo – “ku-ku” (4), frog – “qua” (3), dog – “woof” (3).
Belov is not white because of his last name and not black, since he answered the black-haired one. That is, Belov is red. Chernov is not black because of his last name and not red, since the red one is the bugbear Belov. Pickpocket Ryzhov was left with black color.
First, both sons cross. One of the sons returns back to his father. The father moves to the opposite bank to join his son. The father remains on the shore, and the son is transported to the original shore after his brother, after which they both are transported to their father.

What is deduction

The science of natural science points to the existence of two methods of cognition: induction and deduction. In translation:

inductio - 'impulse' - means from the particular to the general;
deductio - 'deduction' - from the general to the specific.

Photo: mfina.ru: UGC
What is deduction? In the modern interpretation, deduction is a method of cognition when, in the course of logical inferences, a conclusion about a particular one is drawn from a well-known fact. For example: all metals conduct electric current, aluminum is a metal, which means aluminum conducts current.

In everyday life, the method of deduction is used quite often, although we may not be aware of it. So, looking out the window in the morning, we find fallen branches and puddles. This means that at night there was a strong wind and rain.

What professions do people most often encounter deduction in practice? Of course, investigators, lawyers, as well as doctors, analysts, managers. By developing his deductive abilities, such a specialist improves his performance results and therefore moves up the career ladder. Let's find out whether deduction can be developed.

Consequence

In most cases, Holmes is faced with carefully planned and complexly executed crimes. At the same time, the range of crimes is quite wide - Holmes investigates murders, thefts, extortion, and sometimes he comes across situations that at first glance (or ultimately) do not have the elements of a crime at all (the incident with the king of Bohemia, the case of Mary Sutherland, the story of a man with split lip, Lord St. Simon's case).

Sherlock Holmes prefers to act alone, performing all investigative functions in one person. He is assisted by John Hamish Watson and the staff of Scotland Yard, but this is not of a fundamental nature. Holmes finds evidence and, as an expert, evaluates the involvement of those involved in the crime. Questions witnesses. In addition, Holmes often directly acts as a detective agent, searching for evidence and persons involved, and also participates in the arrest. Holmes is no stranger to various tricks - he uses makeup, wigs, and changes his voice. In some cases, he has to resort to complete transformation, which requires the art of an actor.

In some cases, a group of London street boys work for Holmes. Holmes mainly uses them as spies to assist him in solving cases.

Holmes keeps a detailed file of crimes and criminals, and also writes monographs as a criminologist.

What is the deductive method and how does it work?

Deduction is a way of thinking in which the main conclusion is obtained from general reasoning to specific ones. Let us recall the situation described in the famous story about Sherlock Holmes, “The Sign of Four.” The plot was as follows: Sherlock Holmes' friend, Dr. Watson, decided to test what conclusions he could draw by observing fairly simple things. Watson gives Sherlock Holmes his watch and says: “What can you tell by analyzing such an object as a watch?”:

seeing an antique watch with the initials "G." engraved on it. W.”, the detective understands that they are family and, most likely, were acquired by Watson’s father;
At that time, watches were considered a precious thing and were passed on by inheritance, according to the rules - to the eldest son. But Watson got the watch recently, although his father died many years ago. So Watson had an older brother;
there are dents on the watch cover, therefore, the brother was sloppy (especially considering the importance of such a gift as a memorial watch from his deceased father), etc.

As you can see, the famous detective simply analyzed general facts and applied them to a specific situation, to Dr. Watson's watch. Interestingly, after the detective shared his conclusions with a friend, he was so shocked by the exact answer that he accused Sherlock of being a spy. They say he knew everything in advance and is now taking advantage of the situation.

The reason for this reaction is quite simple. In his mind, Holmes did a fairly large analysis and produced an equally huge logical conclusion. Therefore, knowing only the initial step of inference (“What can you tell by analyzing such an object as a watch?”) and the final result (which Holmes voiced to Watson), but without seeing each individual, intermediate step (the process of forming the inference: engraved initials - Watson's father, dents - sloppiness, etc.), you can really be amazed at the final conclusion.

To obtain the correct final result, it is necessary to justify each individual step of the conclusion so that upon careful examination it is clear that it was done correctly.