7. AS A METHOD OF INSTRUCTION DEDUCTION IS SUPERIOR TO INDUCTION.
The inductive method is pre-eminently the method of the discoverer only when it involves both the form, which he follows, and the spirit, which he evinces. The so-calledmethod of the school room is inductive in form, as the procedure is from particular facts to general truths; but deductive in spirit, as it is used to impart knowledge. If it were inductive in spirit, the child would be allowed to acquire knowledge entirely through his own initiative. Deduction is the method of instruction, whereas induction is the method of discovery. That the child of the school is instructed or better “deducted” and not generally allowed to discover, is a situation so apparent that we need not labor the point further.
Because the inductive process has been made a method of instruction, it has been robbed of its chief advantage over deduction. Indeed, as a method of instruction, deduction is really the superior method. It requires less time, demands greater concentration, often arouses more interest, and creates situations which are less involved.