Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Which kinds of reasoning are studied in applied logic?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Applied logic
Aristotle, marble portrait bust, Roman copy (2nd century bce) of a Greek original (c. 325 bce); in the Museo Nazionale Romano, Rome.
In the context of philosophy, applied logic is the study of the practical art of right reasoning. It encompasses a broad understanding of reasoning that extends beyond traditional deductive methods to include various forms of inference used to seek knowledge and evaluate arguments.1
The kinds of reasoning studied in applied logic include:
- Deductive reasoning: Reasoning based on truth-preserving rules where the conclusion must be true if the premises are true.12
- Inductive reasoning: A form of ampliative reasoning where conclusions are drawn that may contain new information, though they are not guaranteed to be true.12
- Interrogative reasoning: The reasoning involved in seeking knowledge through the process of questioning.1
- Specialized logical branches: Applied logic (often overlapping with philosophical logic) studies inferences based on specific concepts, such as:
- Epistemic logic: Reasoning involving knowledge (e.g., "knows that").12
- Doxastic logic: Reasoning involving belief (e.g., "believes that").2
- Deontic logic: Reasoning involving normative concepts of obligation, permission, and prohibition.12
- Tense logic: Reasoning involving time.23
Additionally, applied logic examines strategic rules of inference, including modern developments like nonmonotonic logic and default reasoning, which are frequently utilized in artificial intelligence and computer science.4