We use deductive reasoning quite commonly in day-to-day life. For example, say
you look out your window some morning and see the street is wet. There are several
ways you could interpret this information. You might assume a large water truck has
just driven by, inundating the area with spray. Possibly, you may decide that water
has soaked up from the ground. Most likely, however, you will likely decide that it
has rained. Why? Based on your life experience and likely factors, the most logical
deduction is that a wet street is the result of rainfall. There are other possibilities,
but the most logical deduction is rain. If, however, you were SURE that there had
been no rain, or you were aware of a street cleaning program, your deduction would
change appropriately. Deductive reasoning takes the MOST REASONABLE, LIKELY
path, but is not necessarily fool-proof. Deductive reasoning is commonly used in
police work, investigative reporting, the sciences (including medicine), law, and,
oddly enough, literary analysis.
Here are the examples of the popular topics for deductive essays and papers:
Online Education Courses and Degrees
Democracy vs Communism
International Immigrants and Freedom
The Harm of Lie, The Harm of Truth
The Love vs Habit
http://essayinfo.com/essays/deductive_essay.php
Deductive Essay
The essay of this type should be structured in the way it reflects the process of
deductive reasoning:
Introduction states the topic and thesis, attracting the readers attention.
The first paragraph of the main body describes the set of premises (the initial
generally accepted information or clues, which are further used as a basis for
reasoning).
The second paragraph focuses on the evidence, the piece of information you are
analyzing in order to correlate it with premises.
The analysis finally results in a deductive conclusion, which is a balance of the
evidence against the premises.
The final paragraph of the essay contains the restated thesis and the deductive
conclusion.
An important feature of the deductive essay is its sharp focus and clarity. The
paragraphs must be very clearly organized, discussing one particular issue and
providing examples, details and explanation why the deductive conclusion is as it is.
The support must be very strong and well-organized, as the failure to provide clear
supporting arguments will make the conclusion look far-fetched and unrealistic.
Topics for deductive essays often seem to include comparison (Love vs. Habit,
Democracy vs. Totalitarism), however, one must be careful in order not to confuse
the two types of writing, as the question here is not in the issue of whether love and
habits are similar or different, but in the deduction of why love cannot be a habit or
vice versa.
http://www.essay-writing-tips.com/types-of-essays/deductive-essay.html
Anyway, as we may see, complete knowledge is impossible for a human being; at least, in the
state in which we consider ourselves to be humans.
http://www.essay-writing-tips.com/samples/sample-of-deductive-essay-onphilosophy.html
How to write a deductive essay
Purpose
The purpose of the deductive essay is to guide students in the process of using
deductive reasoning. In Western countries, deductive reasoning is the most
commonly used method to arrive at a valid conclusion. Deductive reasoning uses
facts to draw a conclusion. For example, a simple deductive argument might be
"Only depressive students exhibit the following set of behaviors. Twenty-five percent
of college freshman exhibit these behaviors. Therefore, 25% of college students
must be depressed."
Of course, a deductive essay draws on a lot more than one fact to arrive at a
conclusion, but this simple example illustrates the principle.
Tone
The tone of the deductive essay must be factual and objective. Personal opinions
and conjecture are not welcome in a deductive essay, so take care to avoid
introducing these elements in the essay.
Selecting a Topic
Topics for a deductive essay must be chosen carefully. Avoid topics that evoke a
strong emotional response because it is very difficult to write an objective paper
about a topic that you feel strongly about. Instead, choose a topic that you find
interesting, but that you do not have a firm opinion about.
Introduction
The introduction should explain the problem that is being investigated, as well as
provide the background of the problem. Because the deductive essay is based on
facts, the introduction and background of the problem should be carefully
researched. Then, the thesis should explain the major facts and present the
conclusion. For example, in a deductive essay about the lack of diversity at a
particular university, the thesis could be, "Plain State University lacks diversity
because the majority of its students are Caucasian, Protestant, and from upper
middle-class backgrounds."
Supporting Paragraphs
The supporting paragraphs should explain the major facts mentioned in the thesis.
Each of these paragraphs should have a clear topic sentence to guide the reader,
and then move on to provide evidence that supports the claim. This evidence must
stem from credible research and never include elements of the author's opinion or
personal experiences.
Conclusion
The conclusion of the deductive essay should restate the conclusion that you have
drawn, based on your research. The conclusion can also look to the future. For
example, the author in the Plain State University example might advocate that the
university conduct further research to solve the diversity problem. Alternatively,
they might discuss the implications of failing to address this problem, such as losing
federal funding.