Analytical reasoning, also known as analytical thinking, refers to the ability to look at information, be it qualitative or quantitative in nature, and discern patterns within the information. Analytical reasoning involves breaking down large problems into smaller components and using

deductive reasoning Deductive reasoning is the process of drawing valid inferences. An inference is valid if its conclusion follows logically from its premises, meaning that it is impossible for the premises to be true and the conclusion to be false. For example, t ...

with no specialised knowledge, such as: comprehending the basic structure of a set of relationships; recognizing logically equivalent statements; and inferring what could be true or must be true from given facts and rules. Analytical reasoning is axiomatic in that its truth is self-evident. In contrast, synthetic reasoning requires that we include

empirical Empirical evidence is evidence obtained through sense experience or experimental procedure. It is of central importance to the sciences and plays a role in various other fields, like epistemology and law. There is no general agreement on how t ...

observations. The specific terms "analytic" and "synthetic" themselves were introduced by Immanuel Kant, Kant (1781) at the beginning of his ''Critique of Pure Reason''.

Kant's usage

In the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, analytic reasoning represents judgments made upon statements that are based on the virtue of the statement's own content. No particular experience, beyond an understanding of the meanings of words used, is necessary for analytic reasoning. For example, "''John is a bachelor.''" is a given true statement. Through analytic reasoning, one can make the judgment that John is ''unmarried''. One knows this to be true since the state of being ''unmarried'' is implied in the word ''bachelor''; no particular experience of John is necessary to make this judgement. To suggest that John is ''married''—given that he ''is'' a ''bachelor''—would be self-contradictory.

Practical Uses

Business and finance employers look for people who can group elements of a task and reintroduce sections as a coherent singular component that can be more easily accomplished in order to move through a complete task little by little. Analytic reasoning is used by businesses to assess the patterns of change in their market, employees ideally being able to recognize this statistic through raw data. Basically, having good analytic reasoning is the ability to recognize trends and patterns after considering data. As a result, some universities use the terms "analytical reasoning" and "analytical thinking" to market themselves. One such university defines it as "A person who can use logic and critical thinking to analyze a situation." Other campuses go deeper on the topic.{{Cite web , date=November 9, 2020 , title=Analytic Reasoning , url=https://gened.umd.edu/sites/default/files/2020-12/AnalyticReasoning.pdf , website=gened.umd.edu They may also correlate this with other future careers, such as: * Philosophy * Civics * Natural science * Social science * Management

Footnotes

Philosophical logic Reasoning Aptitude

Kant's usage

Practical Uses

See also

Footnotes