Examples of deductive thinking. How to learn the deductive method of thinking

Rational judgments are traditionally divided into deductive and inductive. The question of the use of induction and deduction as methods of cognition has been discussed throughout the history of philosophy. Unlike analysis and synthesis, these methods were often opposed to each other and considered in isolation from each other and from other means of cognition.

In the broad sense of the word, induction is a form of thinking that develops general judgments about single objects; it is a way of moving thought from the particular to the general, from less universal knowledge to more universal knowledge (the path of knowledge "from the bottom up").

Observing and studying individual objects, facts, events, a person comes to the knowledge of general patterns. No human knowledge can do without them. The immediate basis of inductive reasoning is the repetition of features in a number of objects of a certain class. A conclusion by induction is a conclusion about the general properties of all objects belonging to a given class, based on the observation of a fairly wide set of single facts. Usually inductive generalizations are considered as empirical truths, or empirical laws. Induction is an inference in which the conclusion does not follow logically from the premises, and the truth of the premises does not guarantee the truth of the conclusion. From true premises, induction produces a probabilistic conclusion. Induction is characteristic of the experimental sciences, it makes it possible to construct hypotheses, does not provide reliable knowledge, and suggests an idea.

Speaking of induction, one usually distinguishes between induction as a method of experimental (scientific) knowledge and induction as a conclusion, as a specific type of reasoning. As a method of scientific knowledge, induction is the formulation of a logical conclusion by summarizing the data of observation and experiment. From the point of view of cognitive tasks, induction is also distinguished as a method of discovering new knowledge and induction as a method of substantiating hypotheses and theories.

Induction plays an important role in empirical (experimental) cognition. Here she is performing:

one of the methods for the formation of empirical concepts;

the basis for the construction of natural classifications;

One of the methods for discovering causal patterns and hypotheses;

One of the methods of confirmation and substantiation of empirical laws.

Induction is widely used in science. With its help, all the most important natural classifications in botany, zoology, geography, astronomy, etc. were built. The laws of planetary motion discovered by Johannes Kepler were obtained by induction on the basis of Tycho Brahe's analysis of astronomical observations. In turn, the Keplerian laws served as an inductive basis in the creation of Newtonian mechanics (which later became a model for the use of deduction). There are several types of induction:

1. Enumerative or general induction.

2. Eliminative induction (from the Latin eliminatio - exclusion, removal), which contains various schemes for establishing cause-and-effect relationships.

3. Induction as reverse deduction (movement of thought from consequences to foundations).

General induction is an induction in which one moves from knowledge about several subjects to knowledge about their totality. This is a typical induction. It is general induction that gives us general knowledge. General induction can be represented by two types of complete and incomplete induction. Complete induction builds a general conclusion based on the study of all objects or phenomena of a given class. As a result of complete induction, the resulting conclusion has the character of a reliable conclusion.

In practice, it is more often necessary to use incomplete induction, the essence of which is that it builds a general conclusion based on the observation of a limited number of facts, if among the latter there are none that contradict inductive reasoning. Therefore, it is natural that the truth obtained in this way is incomplete; here we obtain probabilistic knowledge that requires additional confirmation.

The inductive method was already studied and applied by the ancient Greeks, in particular Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. But a special interest in the problems of induction manifested itself in the 17th-18th centuries. with the development of new science. The English philosopher Francis Bacon, criticizing scholastic logic, considered induction based on observation and experiment to be the main method of knowing the truth. With the help of such induction, Bacon was going to look for the cause of the properties of things. Logic should become the logic of inventions and discoveries, Bacon believed, the Aristotelian logic set forth in the work "Organon" does not cope with this task. Therefore, Bacon wrote the New Organon, which was supposed to replace the old logic. Another English philosopher, economist and logician John Stuart Mill extolled induction. He can be considered the founder of classical inductive logic. In his logic, Mill gave a great place to the development of methods for studying causal relationships.

In the course of experiments, material is accumulated for the analysis of objects, the selection of some of their properties and characteristics; the scientist draws conclusions, preparing the basis for scientific hypotheses, axioms. That is, there is a movement of thought from the particular to the general, which is called induction. The line of knowledge, according to supporters of inductive logic, is built as follows: experience - inductive method - generalization and conclusions (knowledge), their verification in the experiment.

The principle of induction states that the universal propositions of science are based on inductive inferences. This principle is invoked when it is said that the truth of a statement is known from experience. In the modern methodology of science, it is realized that it is generally impossible to establish the truth of a universal generalizing judgment with empirical data. No matter how much a law is tested by empirical data, there is no guarantee that new observations will not appear that will contradict it.

Unlike inductive reasoning, which only suggests a thought, through deductive reasoning, one deduces a thought from other thoughts. The process of logical inference, as a result of which the transition from premises to consequences is carried out based on the application of the rules of logic, is called deduction. There are deductive inferences: conditionally categorical, dividing-categorical, dilemmas, conditional inferences, etc.

Deduction is a method of scientific knowledge, which consists in the transition from certain general premises to particular results-consequences. Deduction derives general theorems, special conclusions from the experimental sciences. Gives certain knowledge if the premise is correct. The deductive method of research is as follows: in order to obtain new knowledge about an object or a group of homogeneous objects, it is necessary, firstly, to find the nearest genus, which includes these objects, and, secondly, to apply to them the appropriate law inherent in to the whole given kind of objects; transition from knowledge of more general provisions to knowledge of less general provisions.

In general, deduction as a method of cognition proceeds from already known laws and principles. Therefore, the method of deduction does not allow obtaining meaningful new knowledge. Deduction is only a method of logical deployment of a system of provisions based on initial knowledge, a method of identifying the specific content of generally accepted premises.

Aristotle understood deduction as evidence using syllogisms. Deduction was praised by the great French scientist René Descartes. He contrasted it with intuition. In his opinion, intuition directly sees the truth, and with the help of deduction, the truth is comprehended indirectly, i.e. through reasoning. A clear intuition and the necessary deduction is the way to know the truth, according to Descartes. He also deeply developed the deductive-mathematical method in the study of natural sciences. For a rational method of research, Descartes formulated four basic rules, the so-called. "rules for the guidance of the mind":

1. That which is clear and distinct is true.

2. The complex must be divided into private, simple problems.

3. Go to the unknown and unproven from the known and proven.

4. Conduct logical reasoning consistently, without gaps.

The method of reasoning based on the conclusion (deduction) of consequences-conclusions from hypotheses is called the hypothetical-deductive method. Since there is no logic of scientific discovery, no methods that guarantee the receipt of true scientific knowledge, scientific statements are hypotheses, i.e. are scientific assumptions or assumptions whose truth value is uncertain. This provision forms the basis of the hypothetical-deductive model of scientific knowledge. In accordance with this model, the scientist puts forward a hypothetical generalization, various kinds of consequences are deduced from it, which are then compared with empirical data. The rapid development of the hypothetical-deductive method began in the 17th-18th centuries. This method has been successfully applied in mechanics. The studies of Galileo Galilei and especially Isaac Newton turned mechanics into a coherent hypothetical-deductive system, thanks to which mechanics became a model of science for a long time, and for a long time they tried to transfer mechanistic views to other natural phenomena.

The deductive method plays a huge role in mathematics. It is known that all provable propositions, that is, theorems, are deduced in a logical way using deduction from a small finite number of initial principles provable within the framework of a given system, called axioms.

But time has shown that the hypothetical-deductive method was not omnipotent. In scientific research, one of the most difficult tasks is the discovery of new phenomena, laws and the formulation of hypotheses. Here the hypothetical-deductive method rather plays the role of a controller, checking the consequences arising from hypotheses.

In the modern era, extreme points of view on the meaning of induction and deduction began to be overcome. Galileo, Newton, Leibniz, while recognizing experience and, therefore, induction as a major role in cognition, noted at the same time that the process of moving from facts to laws is not a purely logical process, but includes intuition. They assigned an important role to deduction in the construction and testing of scientific theories and noted that in scientific knowledge an important place is occupied by a hypothesis that cannot be reduced to induction and deduction. However, it was not possible to completely overcome the opposition between inductive and deductive methods of cognition for a long time.

In modern scientific knowledge, induction and deduction are always intertwined with each other. Real scientific research takes place in the alternation of inductive and deductive methods. The opposition of induction and deduction as methods of cognition loses its meaning, since they are not considered as the only methods. In cognition, other methods play an important role, as well as techniques, principles, and forms (abstraction, idealization, problem, hypothesis, etc.). For example, probabilistic methods play a huge role in modern inductive logic. Estimating the probability of generalizations, searching for criteria for substantiating hypotheses, the establishment of complete reliability of which is often impossible, requires increasingly sophisticated research methods.

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Artyom Luchko

The skills of a good detective, such as the ability to quickly “read” a situation and lift the veils of secrets to the smallest detail, recreating pictures of what happened and psychological portraits of people, are certainly useful for everyone. It is not so difficult to acquire and hone them. After studying various techniques, we have selected some useful tips that will help you get a little closer to Sherlock Holmes.

Attention to the details

As you observe people and everyday situations, notice the smallest cues in conversations so you can be more responsive to events. These skills have become trademarks of Sherlock Holmes, as well as the heroes of the TV series True Detective or The Mentalist. The New Yorker columnist and psychologist Maria Konnikova, author of Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes, says that Holmes' method of thinking is based on two simple things - observation and deduction. Most of us do not pay attention to the details around, and meanwhile outstanding (fictional and real) detectives have a habit of noticing everything down to the smallest detail. How to train yourself to be more attentive and focused?

First, stop multitasking and focus on one thing at a time. The more things you do at the same time, the more likely you are to make mistakes and miss important information. It is also less likely that this information will be stored in your memory.

Secondly, it is necessary to achieve the correct emotional state. Worry, sadness, anger, and other negative emotions that are processed in the amygdala disrupt the brain's ability to solve problems or absorb information. Positive emotions, on the contrary, improve this brain function and even help you think more creatively and strategically.

Develop memory

Having tuned in the right way, you should strain your memory in order to begin to put everything observed there. There are many methods for training it. Basically, it all comes down to learning to give importance to individual details, for example, the brands of cars parked near the house and their numbers. At first you have to force yourself to memorize them, but over time it will become a habit and you will memorize cars automatically. The main thing when forming a new habit is to work on yourself every day.

Play more often memory and other board games that develop memory. Challenge yourself to memorize as many items as you can in random photos. For example, try to memorize as many items as possible from the photographs of the heading "" of our colleagues from FURFUR in 15 seconds, and then reproduce the entire list on paper.

Memory competition champion and author of Einstein Walks on the Moon on how memory works, Joshua Foer explains that anyone with an average memory ability can greatly expand their abilities. Like Sherlock Holmes, Foer is able to memorize hundreds of phone numbers at once by encoding knowledge into visual pictures.

His method is to use spatial memory to structure and store information that is relatively difficult to remember. So numbers can be turned into words and, accordingly, into images, which in turn will take a place in the memory palace. For example, 0 could be a wheel, a ring, or a sun; 1 - a pillar, a pencil, an arrow, or even a phallus (vulgar images are remembered especially well, Foer writes); 2 - a snake, a swan, etc. Then you imagine some space you are familiar with, for example, your apartment (it will be your “memory palace”), in which there is a wheel at the entrance, a pencil lies on the bedside table, and behind it is a porcelain swan. This way you can remember the sequence "012".

Doing"field notes"

As you begin your transformation into Sherlock, start keeping a diary of notes. As the Times columnist writes, scientists train their attention in this way - by writing down explanations and fixing sketches of what they observe. Michael Canfield, a Harvard University entomologist and author of Field Notes on Science and Nature, says this habit "will force you to make the right decisions about what's really important and what isn't."

Arthur Conan Doyle. "A study in Scarlet":

“It seems to me that the human brain is like a small empty attic that you can furnish as you wish. A fool will drag in there any junk that comes to hand, and there will be nowhere to stick useful, necessary things, or at best, you won’t get to the bottom of them among all this rubble. And an intelligent person carefully selects what he puts in his brain attic. He will take only the tools that he will need for his work, but there will be many of them, and he will arrange everything in exemplary order. In vain do people think that this little room has elastic walls and they can be stretched as much as they like. I assure you, the time will come when, while acquiring something new, you will forget something from the past. Therefore, it is terribly important that unnecessary information does not crowd out the necessary information.

Keeping field notes, whether during the next working meeting or a walk in the city park, will develop the right approach to the study of the environment. Over time, you begin to pay attention to the little details in any situation, and the more you do it on paper, the faster you will develop the habit of analyzing things on the go.

Concentrate attention through meditation

Many studies confirm that meditation improves concentration. and attention. It is worth starting to practice with a few minutes in the morning and a few minutes before bed. According to John Assaraf, lecturer and renowned business consultant, “Meditation is what gives you control over your brain waves. Meditation trains the brain so you can focus on your goals."

Meditation can make a person better equipped to receive answers to questions of interest. All this is achieved by developing the ability to modulate and regulate different brain wave frequencies, which Assaraf compares to the four speeds in a car gearbox: “beta” from the first, “alpha” from the second, “theta” from the third and “ delta waves "- from the fourth. Most of us function during the day in the beta range, and this is not to say that this is so terribly bad. But what is first gear? The wheels spin slowly, and engine wear is quite large. Also, people burn out faster and experience more stress and illness. Therefore, it is worth learning how to switch to other gears in order to reduce wear and the amount of “fuel” spent.

Find a quiet place where nothing will distract you. Be fully aware of what is happening and follow the thoughts that arise in your head, concentrate on your breathing. Take slow deep breaths, feeling the air flow from the nostrils to the lungs.

Think Critically and ask questions

Once you learn to pay close attention to detail, begin to transform your observations into theories or ideas. If you have two or three puzzle pieces, try to figure out how they fit together. The more pieces of the puzzle you have, the easier it will be to draw conclusions and see the whole picture. Try to deduce particular provisions from general ones in a logical way. This is called deduction. Remember to apply critical thinking to everything you see. Use critical thinking to analyze what you are closely following, and use deduction to build a big picture based on these facts.

Describing in a few sentences how to develop critical thinking abilities is not so easy. The first step to this skill is to return to childhood curiosity and the desire to ask as many questions as possible. Konnikova says the following about this:

“It is important to learn to think critically. So, when acquiring new information or knowledge about something new, you will not just memorize and memorize something, but learn to analyze it. Ask yourself: "Why is this so important?"; “How do I combine this with the things I already know?” or "Why do I want to remember this?" Questions like these train your brain and organize information into a knowledge network.”

Give free rein to the imagination

Critical thinking is of no use if you do not learn how to make connections between separate pieces of information. Of course, fictional detectives like Holmes have a superpower to see connections that ordinary people simply ignore. But one of the key foundations of this exemplary deduction is non-linear thinking. Sometimes it’s worth letting your imagination run wild in order to replay the most fantastic scenarios in your head and sort through all the possible connections.

Sherlock Holmes often sought solitude to reflect and freely explore an issue from all angles. Like Albert Einstein, Holmes played the violin to help him relax. While his hands were occupied with the game, his mind was immersed in the scrupulous search for new ideas and problem solving. Holmes once even mentions that imagination is the mother of truth. Having renounced reality, he could look at his ideas in a completely new way.

Expand your horizons

Obviously, an important advantage of Sherlock Holmes is in his broad outlook and erudition. If you also understand the work of Renaissance artists, the latest trends in the cryptocurrency market, and discoveries in the most advanced theories of quantum physics with equal ease, your deductive methods of thinking are much more likely to succeed. Do not place yourself in the framework of any narrow specialization. Reach for knowledge and nurture a sense of curiosity in a variety of things and areas.

Maria Konnikova:

“Holmes said that a person should have a clean and tidy “brain attic”, but at the same time he himself was literally a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. He read a lot of fiction, which actually had nothing to do with his work. I think that's an important lesson we can learn."

Inductive and deductive methods of cognition

Induction is knowledge from the particular to the general. For example, by analyzing private knowledge (individual facts), a researcher can come to general knowledge, incl. inference, hypothesis. That. from private knowledge - so-called. generalized knowledge. The more generalized (=abstract) knowledge is, in general, the more useful and powerful it is. Philosophy, for example, is the totality of the most generalized knowledge. Science and technology, in relation to philosophy, is knowledge with an average degree of generalization.

It is precisely such (generalized and most generalized) knowledge that gives a person the most power (Power).

Induction, i.e. knowledge from the particular to the general (generalized), in fact, is the main content of abstract thinking, i.e. obtaining generalized (=abstract) and more and more generalized knowledge from particular ones. In general, this is how art, science and technology, philosophy arise and develop. Abstract thinking (induction) - causes the superiority of man over other forms of life on Earth.

Further: If induction is the main content of abstract thinking, then what is the opposite method (deduction)? Deduction - also refers to abstract thinking, because. although it does not receive generalized knowledge from particular ones, it operates with generalized (= abstract) knowledge:

Unlike induction, deduction is knowledge from the general to the particular (as well as from the general to the general, and from the particular to the particular). This is the acquisition of new knowledge, with a combination of existing general knowledge, or the use of general (and abstract thinking in general) to obtain new private knowledge from private ones. (Except, perhaps, only the most primitive conclusions from particular to particular, which can be carried out without general knowledge).

Further: Generalized knowledge, by the way, always contains private knowledge, or rather, a lot of private knowledge combined into one common knowledge. This is the power of general (generalized and most generalized, = abstract) knowledge. For example, the generalized knowledge that all trees are covered with bark contains associated private knowledge about each of the trillions of trees, i.e. trillions of private knowledge! (tied into one concise and powerful common knowledge of all of them). Having learned that a particular object is a tree, we obtain, using deduction, the knowledge that our particular tree should be covered with bark (ie, we obtain knowledge from the general to the particular). But we already knew that all trees are covered with bark. In essence, deduction from the general to the particular is the application of already existing knowledge, drawing conclusions (= new knowledge) on the basis of already existing general knowledge ...

By the way, deduction was glorified, at one time, by the well-known Sherlock Holmes, who had "outstanding deductive abilities."

One of the manifestations of deduction is also a method of cognition - extrapolation. For example, knowing that a new type of grass has been discovered, and knowing that all known types of grass are green, we can conclude that the new type of grass is green. We get thus - such a new private knowledge: "a new kind of grass is green." Those. we did not check this, and did not see it, but we extrapolated (applied) the existing general knowledge to a new subject that was not included in the generalization. Received thus. deductive knowledge taken for granted.

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§ 5. INDUCTION AND DEDUCTION AS METHODS OF KNOWLEDGE The question of the use of induction and deduction as methods of knowledge has been discussed throughout the history of philosophy. Induction was most often understood as the movement of knowledge from facts to statements of a general nature, and under

Deduction is a special method of thinking based on the ability to build a logical connection, to draw small private conclusions from the overall picture. How did the famous legendary hero Sherlock Holmes use this?

Sherlock Holmes Method

The deductive method of Sherlock Holmes can be described in one phrase that the detective uttered in A Study in Scarlet: "All life is a huge chain of causes and effects, and we can know its nature by one link." Undoubtedly, in life everything happens chaotically and sometimes unpredictably, but despite this, the skills that the detective possessed helped him solve even the most intricate crimes.

Observation and details

Sherlock Holmes collected as much information as possible, analyzed various scenarios for the development of events and looked at them from different angles. This allowed the detective to discard the insignificant, thus, the hero of Arthur Conan Doyle singled out one or more more significant ones from the many possible versions.

Concentration

A detached face, ignoring people and their questions, as well as events around him - this is how Conan Doyle draws his hero. However, this behavior is by no means a sign of bad taste. No. This is the result of a special focus on the investigation. Sherlock Holmes is constantly thinking about all sorts of options for solving the problem, abstracting from external factors.

Interest and outlook

The main weapon of the detective was his broad outlook. It is worth remembering how he could easily determine from which place in England a person came from by the particles of soil. He was interested in literally everything, especially what eluded the attention of ordinary people. He was a specialist in forensics and biochemistry, played the violin remarkably well, understood opera and music, knew several foreign languages, was engaged in fencing and knew how to box. A multifaceted personality, isn't it? ..

The palaces of the mind

The deduction method is based on memorizing information using associations. A famous detective worked with a large amount of information. And in order not to get confused in it, he used a method called "mind halls." By the way, it is far from new, its essence was known to the ancient Greeks. Each fact, information, knowledge is tied to a specific object of the room, for example, to a door, a window, etc. This made it easier for the detective to remember the information that came to him almost hourly.

Sign language

Sherlock Holmes was a wonderful psychologist. Observing the behavior of a particular person, the detective paid attention to facial expressions and gestures, as a result of which he could easily determine whether his client/suspect was lying or not. The ability to notice details - behavior, manner of speaking, dressing - helps to draw up a general picture of a person's life.

Intuition

Sherlock Holmes' intuition was based not on the sixth sense, but on experience. But the line between the voice of the subconscious and high qualifications in the work is quite blurred. Only the person himself can draw this fine line between the assumption and the action itself.

Practice

The method of deduction can only be developed through practice. Sherlock Holmes constantly practiced logic, even in his spare time. This allowed him to constantly keep his mind "in good shape." But without an interesting case, he was bored and depressed.

Benefits of deduction

Deductive thinking skills will be useful in everyday life and work. The secret of many successful people lies in the ability to think logically and analyze their actions, predicting the outcome of events. This helps them avoid patterns and achieve great success in various areas:

In studies - helps to quickly master the subject being studied;

In work activity - make the right decisions and count your actions several steps ahead;

In life - to understand people well and build effective relationships with others.

Thus, the deduction method will help to make life much easier and avoid many unpleasant situations, as well as quickly achieve your goals.

How to develop deductive thinking

Mastering the way of thinking we are considering is a long and painstaking work on oneself, but at the same time it does not present any particular difficulties. The deduction method requires the participation of common sense, while emotions must be relegated to the background, they will only interfere with the process. There are a number of some rules that will help develop a deductive way of thinking at any age.

1. If you are determined to achieve a positive result in this field, then you need to start reading a lot. But not glossy magazines and newspapers - classical literature and modern detective stories or novels will be useful. While reading, you need to think about the plot, remember the details. Compare "learned material": eras, genres, etc.

2. In everyday life, try to pay attention to the little things: people's behavior, their clothes, gestures, facial expressions, speech. This will help develop observation and teach you analysis. It would be nice to enlist the support of a like-minded person with whom you can discuss what you saw, in addition, in the process of conversation, you will learn to explain your thoughts logically and build a chronological sequence of events.

3. Solving logical problems and puzzles will help you master the skills of deductive thinking.

4. Pay attention to your actions, analyze why you did what you did in a certain situation, look for other possible ways out of it and think about what the result could be in this case.

5. The development of deductive thinking requires memory training. This is necessary in order to cover a large amount of information and keep it in mind. It is important to note that memory training should be done constantly. Scientists have found that a person loses acquired skills and abilities if brain activity is interrupted for a certain period of time (say, on vacation). Known ways to develop memory will help:

Memorize a certain number of words by ear;

Repeat the words you read word for word.

List items.

It should be remembered that there are several sources of perception of information: auditory, voice, visual and tactile. At the same time, it is important to develop everything at the same time, focusing on weaknesses. To simplify the memorization process, you can come up with your own system of encoding and associations.

6. But you should not completely rely on memory, since its possibilities are not unlimited. You need to train yourself to take notes - in the form of graphs, tables, lists. This useful habit will help you find relationships and create logical chains.

7. It is important to constantly learn new knowledge. They may not even be related to social life and interpersonal relationships. It is recommended to read fiction - this will develop impressionability, the ability to think figuratively. Special attention should be paid to the development of special knowledge, such as psychology, physiognomy, sign language. They will help to analyze human behavior in certain situations.

8. Practice plays an important role in mastering deductive thinking. Its essence is to create a problem situation and find a way out of the situation. To do this, it is necessary to put forward a hypothesis and determine ways to solve the problem. Further, considering all possible approaches, it is required to find the best option. Try to conduct a comparative analysis of the proposed paths of development of events.

The deductive way of thinking is a fascinating journey through the vastness of logic. With some effort and some time to study, you will be able to pick up the keys to any locks with the help of deduction and experience for yourself what it means to be Sherlock Holmes.

Throughout life, people improve and develop. In the process of personal development, it is necessary to develop logical thinking. In the development of logic, such a method of thinking as deduction is of great importance. And a lot of people are asking:

What is logic?
How to develop deduction?

Deduction refers to the ability to reason logically and come to an irrefutable conclusion.

Deduction (from lat. deductio- derivation) - derivation of the particular from the general; a path of thought that leads from the general to the particular, from the general to the particular.

Deduction, as a particular way of thinking, is based on the selection of the main idea from the general one. In any science and in life, the method of deduction is widely used, which is why it is so important to develop deductive reasoning.

The simplest example of deductive reasoning:

Olya and Masha are on a diet;
the diet excludes the use of sweets;
therefore, Olya and Masha do not consume chocolate.

Everyone knows the "king" of deductive thinking - Sherlock Holmes. In solving crimes, he always started from the general - a complete picture of the crime with the alleged participants, and moved to the particular - considered each individual who could commit it, studied the possibilities, motives, behavior. And then, by logical reasoning, he figured out the criminal, presenting him with irrefutable evidence.

There are many ways, methods and games that develop deductive thinking.

Books

The first and most important way to develop deduction is to read books. Firstly, this is an elementary expansion of horizons, memory training and personal development.

From the particles of soil on the shoes, Sherlock Holmes could determine from which corner of England the person came. And he distinguished 140 types of tobacco ash. Holmes was interested in literally everything and had a huge store of knowledge.

Secondly, you should not just read books, but analyze the situations described, memorize, assume, compare, calculate. Reading, for example, a detective story, try to determine by logical reasoning who will be the criminal. This will teach you how to build logical chains.

Plots of detectives by Daria Dontsova are perfect for training

Games

In order to develop deduction, you must train your memory daily. Not only books, but also various games will help you with this. Remember, there are a sufficient number of games that will become your assistants in your daily workouts:

Chess - a board logic game for two opponents. Perfectly develops logic, ingenuity, attentiveness.

Playing chess is great for developing intelligence

Checkers - a board logic game for two players on a multicellular board similar to a chessboard. Teaches you to think one step ahead, develops observation and memory.

Playing checkers improves your memory

Sudoku is a popular logic puzzle. A 9x9 square must be filled in with numbers according to special rules. The game develops attention, intelligence, a three-dimensional view of the world, as well as divergent thinking.

Sudoku will allow you to master divergent thinking

Puzzles – puzzle game, which is a mosaic of many fragments of a picture of various shapes, which you want to put together into a single image. Develops mindfulness, logic, imagination and trains memory.

Making puzzles develops logic and attention

« Memory » - a board game consisting of several dozen paired cards. The cards are shuffled and laid out face down, then opened two at a time. When the pictures on them match, then the cards remain turned upside down, but if the images are different, the cards are turned over again face down. « Memory”to this day remains the leader among games that develop visual and spatial memory.

An exciting game that is really useful for developing memory

"Snowball" - a game involving a large number of strangers. It is also called the game for the first acquaintance. The bottom line is that all those present become in a circle, and someone first calls his name. Then, clockwise, the next participant calls the name of the previous one and his own. The third will have to name the names of the previous two and pronounce his own, and so on in a circle. You can also play the game with friends, calling not names, but, for example, the names of cities. Great memory training.

Similar games develop memory and attention

Card games - the well-known card game of "fool", etc. In the game, you not only have to remember the cards, but also calculate the moves.

Although playing cards is considered gambling, it is developing.

You can invent games for yourself. For example, take a picture, remember the picture for 15 seconds, and then on a piece of paper reproduce a list of items that you were able to remember.

Riddles

Everyone, for sure, knows the mysteries. There are a great many of them and they perfectly develop logic. If you can't solve a 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.

Do not forget that the best riddles are riddles with a trick. They allow you to develop logic and deduction much more efficiently than simple ones.

Examples of puzzles for logic and thinking:

Two people approach the river. Near the shore is a boat that can only support one. Both men crossed to the opposite bank. How?
Where is it found that a horse jumps over a horse?
Sherlock Holmes was walking 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 immediately. 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. It was he who killed her." Q: Why did Sherlock think that?
The jar is on the table. It stands in such a way 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 into a storm. He was taken to an island where there were no men, and only girls lived. In the morning he woke up covered in ropes at some kind of ritual and found out that they wanted to kill him. And he asked for the last word. After he voiced him, the girls made him a boat, gave him food, 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, a professor will never solve it. Riddle: decipher ODTCHPShSVDD.
It is known that among the nine coins there is one counterfeit, which has less weight than the rest. How to determine a counterfeit coin using a weighing pan in two weighings?
Cat - 3, horse - 5, rooster - 8, donkey - 2, cuckoo - 4, frog - 3. Dog -?
Three criminals met: Belov the bear cub, Chernov the burglar and Ryzhov the pickpocket. "It's amazing that one of us has black, the second white, and the third red hair, but none of the hair color matches the last name," said the black-haired man. “And, really…”, said Belov the bear-cub. 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. He stands on the water either a father or two sons. How to cross to the other side of the father and sons?

They were on different sides.
In chess.
Because Holmes did not tell her husband the address.
Let me be killed by the ugliest.
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 the least. If the piles are equal, then the fake is in the third pile. Second weighing: from the pile with the smallest weight, 1 and 1 coin are compared. If they are equal, then the fake is the remaining coin.
The cat - "meow" (3), the horse - "i-go-go" (5), the rooster - "ku-ka-re-ku" (8), the donkey - "i-a" (2), the cuckoo - "ku-ku" (4), the frog - "qua" (3), the dog - "woof" (3).
Belov is not white because of his surname and not black, since he answered the black-haired one. That is, Belov is red. Chernov is not black because of his surname and not red, since the red one is the bear cub Belov. Pickpocket Ryzhov remained black.
Both sons cross first. One of the sons returns to his father. The father moves to the opposite bank to his son. The father remains on the shore, and the son crosses to the original shore after his brother, after which they both cross to the father.

Observation and details

It is very important for the development of deduction to notice the details everywhere and in everything. For example, if you are on a bus, choose one person and, noticing even the little things, try to understand what he is interested in, who he works for, what his marital status, lifestyle. Attention to small details will allow you to see a more truthful picture of the situation than it might seem at first glance.

Observation in itself is the ability to notice in things, phenomena and situations essential signs and features, but little noticeable, and therefore eluding the attention of most people.

You can develop observation with the help of different pictures:

It is necessary in a short time to find numbers in the table in the sequence from 1 to 90

To understand the very meaning of deduction, you can look films, whose characters are endowed with developed logic:

Sherlock Holmes (any films and any parts).
Mentalist.
Ace Ventura.
Doctor House etc.

If you use the basic methods that develop logic every day, the result will not be long in coming. You will become observant, you will have attention to detail, and these are the first signs of advanced deduction.