Schlüsse

Schlüsse is the plural of Schluss, a German noun with several related senses. In everyday language it most often denotes conclusions reached on the basis of reasoning or evidence. In scholarly and scientific contexts, Schlüsse also refer to inferences drawn from data, experiments, or premises. The word stems from the sense of closing a line of reasoning, i.e., what one arrives at at the end of a chain of thought.

In logic and philosophy, a Schluss is a step in reasoning. The result of such steps is a Schlussfolgerung, commonly translated as “conclusion” or “inference.” Common types are deductive Schlüsse, where the conclusion follows necessarily from the premises, and inductive Schlüsse, where the conclusion is probable based on evidence. The rules that govern valid Schlüsse are called Schlussregeln or Regeln des Schlusses (for example, modus ponens).

In empirical sciences and statistics, Schlüsse refer to conclusions drawn from observations and analyses. Researchers distinguish between descriptive Schlüsse about data and theoretical or causal Schlüsse about relationships. In everyday discourse, people discuss loose or faulty Schlüsse, or logische Fehlschlüsse (logical fallacies), when an argument’s conclusion does not follow from its premises.

Equivalent terms include Schlussfolgerung and Konklusion; often, Schlussfolgerung is preferred in German for the result of reasoning, while Schluss can refer to the act or step itself. The plural Schlüsse appears in scholarly writing to denote multiple conclusions or inferences.