As we saw in Philosophy
II, inductive reasoning goes from the small to the large. That
is, it makes observations about individual parts and, based on
that knowledge, draws conclusions about the whole.
Deductive reasoning turns that thinking around. It
starts with major premises and, based on those ideas, deduces
the truth about each individual part of the whole.
For example, let's assume that we accept, as our major
premise, that telling a lie is wrong. Once we decide that this
premise is "true," it automatically follows, by deductive
reasoning, that it is wrong if you lie, if the man down the
street lies, if the leader of a foreign country lies, if
anyone lies. The basic premise applies to everything,
everywhere at every time – without exception.
Many of the premises upon which we base our deductive
reasoning are universally accepted because they are considered
"self-evident truths." These are the axioms which must merely
be taken for granted because they cannot or need not be
proved.
One of the most commonly-known premises is that "all men
are created equal," a statement of fact which formed the very
basis of our Constitution. The founders of our country
recognized the validity of this precept through an inborn
sense of morality and humanity. They did not feel they had to
"prove" it.
Other premises are arrived at through long, careful
analysis and study. For instance, scientists formulated a
theory about "black holes" based on basic premises regarding
gravity and mass. For many years, they never found a single
example of such a phenomena, but that did not lessen their
belief in the premise. If the over-riding principles were
correct, then the premise HAD to be correct. Finally, they
were able to find the physical evidence which verified the
premise.
The single most important premise of chiropractic
philosophy is that there is an intelligent order to the
universe, which gives to matter its properties and actions,
thus maintaining its existence. It is becoming equally
accepted by the "new" quantum physics, astronomy, biology, and
many other sciences. No longer can anyone study the universe
and believe it, and each part of it, is random. There is an
order which organizes it and allows it to survive and
continue. |
Once we accept this major
premise – that the universe as a whole is guided by an
intelligent order – we may logically conclude that each part
of the universe is also guided by that intelligence. This
applies to everything, everywhere, at every time.
Just as there are weaknesses with inductive reasoning,
there can be flaws in deductive reasoning. The most obvious
danger comes in formulating and accepting the major premises.
The assumptions must either be so self-evident that no
reasonable person could possibly object (all men are
created equal), or one which can be proven by clinical
studies or physical observations (black holes exist).
These premises cannot be adopted merely as matters of blind
faith which fly in the face of all evidence (the earth is
flat – a premise which once was considered a known
"fact").
To arrive at truth, it is best to use a combination of both
deductive and inductive logic. Starting with deductive
reasoning, we can formulate a basic premise upon which all
else can follow. Then, through clinical studies and inductive
reasoning, we can verify the accuracy of that premise.
Unlike much of modern medicine, chiropractic uses this
ideal combination. It starts with the major premise that there
is order to the universe. Spreading out from that point, we
can assume that each part of the universe, including the human
body, is also organized in an orderly, intelligent
fashion.
Based on this premise, chiropractic was developed as a way
to minimize the interference to this natural order in the
human body. But chiropractic does not stop there. It also uses
the inductive method to study individuals and relate those
specific cases to the "bigger" picture. Its extensive clinical
and survey research has helped to prove, in concrete and
scientifically-acceptable terms, both the efficacy of
chiropractic and the truth behind chiropractic philosophy.
But, for chiropractors, the emphasis is on "The Big
Idea," the major premise in which all knowledge and
conclusions are rooted. For it is only when we see that big
idea clearly that the truths about each one of us, and
every living thing in the universe, can be
known.
|