VALID OR SOUND

Assuming that we have established that we have an actual argument, the

next step is to examine it for validity. There are two points on which an
argument might fail: its premises or its inferences. Because of this, it is
necessary to distinguish between valid arguments and sound arguments.
If a deductive argument is valid, then that means that the reasoning
process behind the inferences is correct and that no fallacies have been
committed. If the premises of such an argument are true, then it is
impossible for the conclusion not to be true. Conversely, if an argument
is invalid, then the reasoning process behind the inferences is not
correct.
If a deductive argument is sound, then that means that not only are all
the inferences true, but the premises are also true. Hence, the conclusion
is necessarily true. Here are two examples to illustrate the differences
between a valid and a sound argument:
1. All birds are mammals. (premise)
2. A platypus is a bird. (premise)
3. Therefore, the platypus is a mammal. (conclusion)
This is a valid deductive argument, even though the premises are both
false. But because those premises are not true, the argument is
not sound. It is interesting to note that the conclusion is true this
demonstrates that an argument with false premises can nevertheless
produce a true conclusion.
1. All trees are plants. (premise)
2. The redwood is a tree. (premise)
3. Therefore, the redwood is a plant. (conclusion)
This is a valid deductive argument because its form is correct. It is also
a sound argument because the premises are true. As explained above,
because its form is valid and its premises are true, we are guaranteed that
the conclusion is also true.

Evaluating Inductive Arguments

With inductive arguments, on the other hand, they are
considered strong if the conclusion follows probably from the premises
and weak if it follows only improbably from the premises, despite what is

claimed about it. If the inductive argument is not only strong but also has
all true premises, then it is called cogent. Weak inductive arguments are
always uncogent. Here is an example:
Strolling through the woods is usually fun. The sun is out, the temperature
is cool, there is no rain in the forecast, the flowers are in bloom, and the
birds are singing. Therefore, it should be fun to take a walk through the
woods now.
Assuming that we care about those premises, then the argument
is strong. Assuming that the premises are all true, then this is also
a cogent argument. If we didnt care about the factors mentioned
(perhaps you suffer from allergies and dont like it when the flowers are in
bloom), it would be a weak argument. If any of the premises turned out to
be false (for example, if it is actually raining), then the argument would
be uncogent. If additional premises turned up, like that there have
reports of a bear in the area, then that would also make the argument
uncogent.
To critique an argument and show that it is invalid or possibly unsound or
uncogent, it is necessary to attack either the premises or the inferences. It
must be remembered, however, that even if it can be demonstrated that
both the premises and the intermediate inferences are incorrect, that
does not mean that the final conclusion is also false. All that has been
demonstrated is that the argument itself cannot be used to establish the
truth of the conclusion.
In an argument, the premises offered are assumed to be true and no effort
is made to support them. But, just because they are assumed to be true,
this does not mean that they are. If you think that they are (or may be)
false, you can challenge them and ask for support. This would require the
other person to create a new argument in which the old premises become
the conclusions.
If the inferences and reasoning process in an argument are false, that will
usually be because some fallacy has been committed. A fallacy is an error
in the reasoning process whereby the connection between the premises
and the conclusion is not what has been claimed. There are numerous
types of fallacies, which are described and defined in this FAQ.