Päätelmällinen

Päätelmällinen is a Finnish adjective meaning deductive or conclusive in nature. It describes reasoning or arguments that proceed from general principles or premises to a specific conclusion, such that if the premises are true, the conclusion follows with necessity. In English-language discussions, päätelmällinen corresponds to deductive or conclusive.

Etymology and usage: The word is formed from the verb päätellä, meaning to deduce or infer, combined with the suffix -ellinen, which denotes a quality. In philosophy, logic, mathematics, and related fields, päätelmällinen päättely refers to deductive reasoning—arguments whose structure guarantees the truth of the conclusion given true premises. The term is often contrasted with inductive reasoning (which generalizes from observations) and abductive reasoning (inference to the best explanation).

Examples: A classic deductive chain in Finnish could be: Kaikki ihmiset ovat kuolevaisia. Sokrates on ihminen. Siksi Sokrates on kuolevainen. This exemplifies how a valid, Päätelmällinen päättely yields a certain conclusion if the premises hold.

Relation to education and style: In Finnish academic writing, päteelmällinen rationality or ajattelutapa is used to describe arguments that aim for conclusive results, as opposed to probabilistic or exploratory reasoning. The term also appears in discussions of critical thinking and formal logic, where clear, necessary connections between premises and conclusion are emphasized.

See also: päätelmä, päätöksenteko, päättely, deduktiivinen päättely, induktiivinen päättely.