The Study of Stability in Variation Inductive versus Deductive Inference Inference is the process by which we draw conclusions about the state of some set of things based on knowledge about another set of things.
Inference can be either inductive or deductive .
It is inductive if we draw conclusions about a general case based on information from a specific case. For instance, say we are driving home on a Friday afternoon, and observe the the cars on a freeway overpass in gridlock. We conclude that the freeway is jammed, and elect to take a different way home. We have made an inference about the condition of the freeway based on some sample data , the condition of that poriton of the freeway which is visible on the overpass. This reasoning is inductive.