Inductive reasoning: From observation to theory

Inductive reasoning involves looking for a trend or a pattern, then using the observations to formulate a general truth. For example, "When I eat peanuts, my throat swells up and I have difficulty breathing. Therefore, I'm likely allergic to peanuts."

Limitations:

• Inductive reasoning leads to uncertain conclusions as there is no way to prove the veracity.
• Inductive reasoning can also lead to wrong conclusions. We may mistake correlation with causation, or apply the particular to the general.