Editing Deductive reasoning (section)

== History ==
{{expand section|date=January 2015}}

[[Aristotle]], a [[Greek philosopher]], started documenting deductive reasoning in the 4th century BC.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iFMhZ4dl1KcC |title=Human Reasoning: The Psychology of Deduction |publisher=Psychology Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-863-77313-6 |editor-last=Evans |editor-first=Jonathan St. B. T. |edition=Repr. |page=4 |quote=In one sense [...] one can see the psychology of deductive reasoning as being as old as the study of logic, which originated in the writings of Aristotle. |access-date=2015-01-26 |editor-last2=Newstead |editor-first2=Stephen E. |editor-last3=Byrne |editor-first3=Ruth M. J. |editor-link3=Ruth M. J. Byrne}}</ref> [[René Descartes]], in his book [[Discourse on Method]], refined the idea for the [[Scientific Revolution]]. Developing four rules to follow for proving an idea deductively, Descartes laid the foundation for the deductive portion of the [[scientific method]]. Descartes' background in geometry and mathematics influenced his ideas on the truth and reasoning, causing him to develop a system of general reasoning now used for most mathematical reasoning. Similar to postulates, Descartes believed that ideas could be self-evident and that reasoning alone must prove that observations are reliable. These ideas also lay the foundations for the ideas of [[rationalism]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Samaha |first=Raid |date=3 March 2009 |title=Descartes' Project of Inquiry |url=http://www.aub.edu.lb/fas/cvsp/Documents/Descartes.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928144146/https://www.aub.edu.lb/fas/cvsp/Documents/Descartes.pdf |archive-date=28 September 2020 |access-date=24 October 2019 |website=American University of Beirut}}</ref>