n.
In logic , a type of nonvalid inference or argument in which the premises provide some reason for believing that the conclusion is true.
Typical forms of inductive argument include reasoning from a part to a whole, from the particular to the general, and from a sample to an entire population. Induction is traditionally contrasted with deduction . Many of the problems of inductive logic, including what is known as the problem of induction , have been treated in studies of the methodology of the natural sciences. See also John Stuart Mill ; philosophy of science ; scientific method .