Arguments, Basics
In an argument, one or more claims made in support of another claim.
premises
Identify the conclusion in this argument:
I know that the student plagiarized since I found the exact same sentences on a website and the website was published more than a year before the student wrote the paper.
The student plagiarized
A claim that is intentionally left out of an argument is called a(n) ___________ claim
implicit
How is an argument organized in standard argument form?
Premise
Premise
________
Conclusion
Is this a valid argument? Explain.
Since all frogs are vertebrates and all amphibians are vertebrates, all frogs are amphibians.
No! While all the claims are true, the conclusion is not guaranteed by the premises.
In an argument, the claim that the speaker/author is ultimately trying to persuade you to believe
conclusion
Identify BOTH premises in this argument:
It can’t be snowing right now since it only snows when it is 32 degrees or below and right now it is 40 degrees.
1. it only snows when it is 32 degrees or below
2. right now it is 40 degrees.
Identify the implicit conclusion of this argument:
If Bob were truly good at basketball, he wouldn't have missed 15 shots in a row.
Bob isn't good at basketball
__________ arguments deal with certainties (e.g. "all" or "none" or "must be true" or "must be false")
Deductive
Rearrange this argument to make it valid:
Since all whales are warm-blooded and all mammals are warm-blooded, all whales are mammals.
Since all mammals are warm-blooded and all whales are mammals, all whales are warm-blooded.
the principle of _________ states that you should give a speaker the "benefit of the doubt" when interpreting their arguments, i.e. look at their arguments in the best possible light.
charity
Identify all premises of this argument:
Fracking should be allowed because, although it does involve some environmental risk, it reduces our dependence on foreign oil and there is much greater harm to the environment due to foreign oil drilling than there is due to fracking.
1. fracking reduces our dependence on foreign oil
2. there is much greater harm to the environment due to foreign oil drilling than there is due to fracking.
Identify an implicit premise of this argument:
CEOs have a lot of responsibility, so they should be paid a lot of money.
People with a lot of responsibility should be paid a lot of money
_______ arguments deal with likelihoods (e.g. "probably" or "unlikely" or "most")
inductive
Is this a sound deductive argument? Explain.
Everyone who lives in the United States was born in the United States. Since Arlan lives in the United States, we know that he was born in the United States.
No. While it is valid, one of the premises is false.
therefore, as a result, so, consequently, we can conclude that, it must be the case that, etc....
Identify the conclusion of this argument:
I know that Wanda rode her bike to work today because when she arrived at work she had her right pant leg rolled up (which cyclists do in order to keep their pants legs from getting caught in the chain). Moreover, our coworker, Bob, who works in accounting, saw her riding towards work at 7:45 am.
Wanda rode her bike to work today.
Identify an implicit premise in this argument.
Capital punishment sometimes takes innocent lives, such as the lives of individuals who were later found to be not guilty. Therefore, we should not allow capital punishment.
We should not allow something that results in the taking of innocent lives.
A(n) _________ deductive argument is one in which, if the premises are true, the conclusion is guaranteed to be true.
valid
Is this a cogent inductive argument? Explain.
Since most Texans are native English speakers and most of the world's native English speakers live in the United States, we can conclude that most Texans live in the United States.
No. While the premises are true, the conclusion does not follow from the premises.
List three premise indicator words/phrases.
because, since, due to the fact that, given that, etc...
Identify the conclusion in this argument:
Given that the first three experiments showed no positive results, and since the fourth experiment showed only slightly positive results, we can conclude that the drug is not effective for treating that illness. This is because experiments with drugs that do not yield overwhelmingly positive results suggest that those drugs are not effective.
The drug is not effective for treating that illness
Identify an implicit premise in this argument.
Because New York is a densely populated, cold-weather city, Bartholomew won't be happy living there.Bartholomew can't be happy living in a densely populated cold-weather city.
What does it mean for an inductive argument to be "strong."
If its premises are true, the conclusion is likely to be true.
Is this a cogent inductive argument? Explain.
Most weekdays in January are school days. Today is Friday, January 28. Since today is a weekday in January, it is most likely a school day.
Yes. The premises are true, and the conclusion follows from the premises.