Western Civilization I / Unit 17 WC1 1620 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Inductive and Deductive: The New Method's Two Halves
Captions available
The idea
Inductive reasoning starts from facts and builds a theory; deductive starts from a theory and fits observations to it, the geocentric universe the classic case. Mathematics kept deduction honest as a divine language promising certainty, in Leonardo, Galileo and Newton.
In practice
Astronomy first, because the ancients had not explained the planets.
Where people slip
Both halves belong to real science. The exam tests the definitions.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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