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By Ms Cheryl
Withaneachi
What is a Good
Argument?
By Ms Cheryl
Withaneachi
Learning
Content
Learnin
g
Objectiv
(L3.0
e
)
By Ms Cheryl Withaneachi
Important
Definitions
Keywords
0 Conclusion
0 Plausible
Claims
0 Begging the
Question
0 Valid argument
0 Invalid
argument
0 Strong
arguments
that
follows
from
premises
By Ms Cheryl Withaneachi
th
e
argument
good?
By Ms Cheryl Withaneachi
Good
arguments?
0 Is it that it should convince
0 What
if the person you convincin is
someone?
are
sleep in aba moo etc g
0 Who? Me, you?
y,
d d
?
What is a Good
Argument?
the conclusion
is
0to
The premise
gives a good
believe true.
reason
Thing toRemembe
s
r!
Things to remember
If we believe the premise, then
there is a good reason for us to believe the
conclusion right? So if we cant find a
reason to believe the premise then we wont
have a good reason to believe the conclusion.
False premise, false
conclusion
All books are written by
woman[P1]
So the author of this book is
a woman
[C].true
0 False
premise,
conclusion
Example:
All books are written by
women [P2].
So the author of this book is a
human being.[C]
Things to remember
False premise, false
conclusion
All books are written by
woman[P1]
So the author of this book is
a woman [C].
False premise, true conclusion
All books are written by
women [P2].
So the author of this book is a
human being.[C]
Plausible
Claim
0 A claim is plausible[probable/possible]
we if
have
Plausible
Claim
0 A claim is plausible[probable/possible] if
good reason to believe it is true.
we
have
Plausible
Claim
It is less plausible, the less reason we have to
believe
it
is
Lets Test this theory
true.
A claim is less plausible/not possible if we have
a less reason to believe its true;
All aliens are intelligent beings that live in
Mars[P1]
So all intelligent beings are in Mars[C]
Lets Analyze
If you have less reason to believe the fact that
aliens exists and that there are intelligent
beings, is it likely that the conclusion is true
or false??
Plausible
Claim
It is implausible or dubious if we have no
reason to
believe it its
Lets Test this theory
true.
A claim is implausible/not possible at all if we
have a no reason to believe its true;
All happy feet penguins fly everyday. [P1]
So all happy feet penguins can fly[C]
Lets Analyze
If you have NO reason to believe the fact that
happy penguins fly everyday, would the
conclusion be true or false??
But is plausible
enough?
further
That True?
0 Even
if you agree the
premise
is tha th
(possible/probabl
it les
plausibl
plausible
e),
s s e
n
e
conclusion.
Begging the
0 AnQuestion
argument begs the question of premise
one of its
is ba
no more
plausible than the
0 Thisis
(forany
conclusion.
d
argument).
Begging the
Is when Question
the person arguing believes in truth of the
Begging the
Question
By Ms Cheryl Withaneachi
Conclusion Follows
from
Premise
th
e
0Wha is th bes
ebetwee
t
t
connectio
n premise
nan
sconclusio
d
n?
Remembe
r!
premise
both
the and the conclusion
could
be true
if the
false,
then
premise
are true,
the conclusion has to be
true too;
0 Every student at this school has paid
tuition.
0 Suzy is a student at this school.
0 So Suzy has paid tuition.
Premises
0 So if we have a good reason
What is a Valid
0 An
argument is valid if the premise is true
Argument?
and the conclusion is true at the same
time. Because there is no way that the
premise could be true and the conclusion
false at the same time.
Premise
0 Every elected official in
Analysi
s:
true,
there is no way the conclusion can be false
even if the
laws change.
0 But
if laws changed,
and its prohibits
people
impossible
for the president
to be
34
older
olderthan
than34 from holding office, then it.
would
0 But be
the argument is bad, since it
has a false conclusion- because the
premise is false.
vali
d
Some
argumen ar
e
ts
bad
Is every argument
valid?
parrot
the mall. He knows his
neighbor
wonde if ithas
woul b bi enoug
r
d
e g h.
at
abirdcag
an
e
d
Analysi
s
0 All parrot anyone I know has ever seen, or
heard, or read
about are under 2 feet tall.
0 Therefore all parrots on sale at the male are
under 2 feet tall.
0 Premise could be true even if there is a possibility
that the
conclusion is false.
0 The conclusion does follow from the premise,
even though
the argument is not valid or less valid.
Weak/Bad
Arguments
0Dick is a
e.
How to evaluate
an
argument?
0 Imagine the possibilities.
good
orcould
strong.
premise
implausible)
3. Only invalidbe
arguments
are
classified
weak.
4. Every weak argument is bad.
fro stron to
m g
In any of these
ways is the
conclusion false?
NO= VALID
EVERY WAY THE
PREMISES COULD BE
TRUE
THE CONCLUSION IS
TRUE
YES:
VALID
HOW
LIKELY?
VERY
UNLIKEL
Y:
STRONG
NOT SO
UNLIKEL
Y: WEAK
Test for
an
Argument
b Goo
to
e d
0 What are the three tests?
1. The premises are plausible.
tha th
n
e
Condition
0 Each of s:
this tests is independent of the
others.
0 Each can fail while the other two hold.
0 We can start with which is easier to
determine.
know
the
where
on the scale from strong to
weak, does
lie? If the
is vali
th example
e argument
or stron is it als good d
g,
o ?
Analysis the
following:
0 Dr.E is a philosophy
professor.
0 All
philosophy
ar bald
professors
0 SoDr E bald e .
.
.
Analysi
s
In any of these
ways is the
conclusion false?
NO= VALID
EVERY WAY THE
PREMISES COULD BE
TRUE
THE CONCLUSION IS
TRUE
YES:
VALID
HOW
LIKELY?
VERY
UNLIKEL
Y:
STRONG
NOT SO
UNLIKEL
Y: WEAK
0 Maria to her
supervisor:
Analysi
s:
the
to be
conclusion
false.
0 But we dont
know if the
is goo becaus we
argument
d
e
don kno if th premis is true
t
w
e e
.
chanc
we
know,
are
that is unlikely the premise is th e
true
and fals So
conclusio
argume is bad e
n
e. the nt
.
Remembe
r!
How do we show
an
argument is
premis coul b tru an th conclusio fals
e
d
e eweak?
d e n
e.
We describe at least one likely way
in which the