Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of reason as a way of knowing

Running head : HUMAN REASON

Reason as a Way of Knowing : Strengths and Weaknesses

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REASON AS A WAY OF KNOWING : STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

The thing that separates humans from the rest of the animal kingdom is the ability to use reason . In the lexical sense , reasoning is a form of coherent and logical thinking that permits the creation of conclusions from inferences , deductions and other judgment forms . It is an intelligence presupposing a functioning mind . Humans possess reason because they can form arguments from facts or

personal judgment and can use such arguments logically to arrive at a valid or sound conclusion (Reeve , 1995 ,

. 64 . Reason also enables humans to comprehend the relationships between things . Reason 's strength as a way of knowing depends on its accurate use in drawing relationships among material or abstract entities . Its weakness is its dependency on the external world higher forms of reasoning can be developed through human interaction

There are basically two methods of reasoning - inductive and deductive methods . While both of them use evidences such as factual premises or arguments based on logical judgment , they differ in their ways of determining a conclusion through logical inferences . Inductive reasoning (IR ) involves specific premises which , when taken altogether , are the bases for making a general claim . Deductive reasoning (DR ) involves the use of several premises where a claim will be taken from . In IR , the premises do not necessarily have to support one another they only have to support...