categorical inference

Categorical inference is a type of reasoning where a judgment is made about whether something is, or is likely to be, a member of a specific category. This form of reasoning is a subset of induction, which moves from particulars to generals or from the observed to the unobserved. Unlike deduction, which guarantees the truth of its conclusion if the premises are true, induction only makes the conclusion probable.1

For example, seeing an unfamiliar animal and concluding it is a dog, even with uncertainty about its specific breed, illustrates categorical inference. The term "categorical" itself has roots in ancient Greek philosophy, referring to fundamental classes into which knowledge can be organized. A categorical syllogism is a specific form of deductive argument where all propositions categorize members of one group as belonging to another.1234