Deductive Reasoning

Deductive vs Inductive Reasoning/Writing

Deductive Reasoning

This is what you were taught by Mrs. Brown in your high school English class. You probably were asked to do this quite a bit in your history and civics classes as well. In most cases, you were taught to come up with a point that you intend to make, and to put it into one sentence called the thesis statement. You would then come up with three more sentences that would support your thesis statement with three specific points. With these four ingredients, you wrote a straightforward five-paragraph essay, and hopefully got an A for your effort. Of course, for the purposes of writing an epinion, you may have less, or more, than three examples to present, and hopefully you have more.

The five paragraphs would be as follows. The first paragraph would introduce some introductory information about your subject. For example, if you were writing a book report for your high school class, a brief synopsis of the book's purpose and contents (or plot if it is fiction) would do, and the thesis statement would come at the end. The second paragraph then would start with your first point statement, and you would fill up the rest of the paragraph with facts to support your point. In a book review, they could be specific quotes from parts of the book. The paragraph would end by reiterating the point that was to be made. The third and fourth paragraphs repeat the same with the other two points you would be attempting to make. The fifth, and final paragraph, would start with a revised version of the thesis statement, tie together the three points you had made in the middle three paragraphs, and lead the reader into new insights by introducing minor new thoughts or asking a few questions. Very straight forward way to write an essay, or an epinion for that matter.

For many writers, and for many types of reviews, this is the way to go. It is logical, the thought process is easy to follow, and even for those who do not have the time to completely read your epinion, the key points would be loud and clear. And you were drilled in this in high school, so you already know how to do it. Most of my reviews, in fact, do follow this format more or less. For example, when I write a review on a city, I start with introductory information about the city such as its history, then state my feelings regarding the city, which would be my thesis. Specific points follow, as I discuss the city's transportation system, cultural life, attractions, and safety, among others, then I end by tying up these points together and issuing a verdict.

I read many music reviews, and I see that many teenage girls are itching to review the latest albums from their idols such as Britney Spears and N'Sync. Unfortunately, most of them are one-paragraph rants on how great their idols are, with little to support their point. I highly suggest that you think over what you specifically like about the album, and come up with concrete examples. Go through your English class notebooks, and come up with a thesis statement that says how you feel about, say, N'Sync's No Strings Attached, then support your feelings with paragraphs that respectively focus on specific aspects, such as lyrics, vocal work, arrangements, and stylistic influences. Do these well, and you might as well get me to go out and try the album myself; that is called a successful epinion.

The downside to the deductive reasoning is that it is too rigid and structured, too predictable. Read on for an alternative approach.

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