Logic is about good and bad reasoning. In order to talk clearly about reasoning, logicians have given precise meanings to some ordinary words. This chapter is a review of their language.
ARGUMENTS
Logicians attach a special sense to the word argument. In ordinary language, it usually takes two to argue. One dictionary defines an argument as:
A quarrel.
A discussion in which reasons are put forward in support of and against a proposition, proposal, or case.
A point or series of reasons presented to support a proposition which is the conclusion of the argument.
Definition (3) is what logicians mean by an argument.
Reasoning is stated or written out in arguments. So logicians study arguments (in sense 3).
An argument thus divides up into:
A point or series of reasons which are called premises, and a conclusion.
Premises and conclusion are propositions, statements that can be either true or false. Propositions are “true-or-false.”
GOING WRONG
The premises are supposed to be reasons for the conclusion. Logic tries to understand the idea of a good reason.
We find arguments convincing when we know that the premises are true, and when we see that they give a good reason for the conclusion.
So two things can go wrong with an argument:
▪ the premises may be false.
▪ the premises may not provide a good reason for the conclusion.
Review the options below to login to check your access.
Log in with your Cambridge Aspire website account to check access.
If you believe you should have access to this content, please contact your institutional librarian or consult our FAQ page for further information about accessing our content.