InductiveReasoning

 The sun rises every morning,
 But why are we so sure?
 Looking out of my window,
 Empires rise and fall.
                       -- Project Pitchfork, Souls

This is reasoning to work out theories from observation.

From observations, one deduces patterns, from those patterns, form hypotheses, and then theories. Contrast with DeductiveReasoning?.

One of the issues concerning inductive reasoning is that unless the theories created are unnecessarily reflective (I believe I saw the sun today, therefor I induce that believing I see the sun is a thing that will happen in my lifetime) the theories extend beyond what has been observed and so rely on meta-theories (theories about theories: for example theories of what patterns are in general, and that the universe tends to conform to them; belief that you are not being systematically tricked, as in the TrumanShow?, and are sane) whose own foundations need to be questioned. Meta-theories which are also induced need their own doubly-meta-theories, whereas those which come by some other means (such as SpiritualGnosis? or NeurologicalEvolutionaryDeterminism?) may be said to have questionable (Ontological?) foundations.