What type of reasoning starts with known truths to derive a conclusion?

Deductive reasoning is a logical process where conclusions are drawn from a set of premises that are assumed to be true. This type of reasoning works from the general to the specific, meaning it takes established principles or truths and applies them to specific situations to yield definitive conclusions. For example, if all humans are mortal (a general truth) and Socrates is a human, then it can be conclusively stated that Socrates is mortal.

This method is particularly powerful because if the premises are indeed true, the resulting conclusion must also be true. This makes deductive reasoning a critical tool in fields such as mathematics and formal logic, where the structure of knowledge is built upon axioms and theorems.

Inductive reasoning, on the other hand, involves making generalizations based on specific observations, which does not guarantee truth in the same way that deductive reasoning does. Abductive reasoning deals with forming the best explanation from incomplete observations, while intuitive reasoning relies on gut feelings or instincts without a systematic approach to arrive at a conclusion.