Chapter 1.1: Arguments, Prmises, and Conclusions Flashcards
Logic
Logic may be defined as the organized body of knowledge, or science, that evaluates arguments.
Argument
A group of statements, one or more of which (the premises) are claimed to provide support for, or reasons to believe, one of the others (the conclusion)
Statement
A statement is a sentence that is either true or false- in other words, typically a declarative sentence or a sentence component that could stand as a declarative sentence.
Unlike statements, many sentences cannot be said to be either true or false. Such as questions, proposals, suggestions, commands, and exclamations usually cannot, and so are not usually classified as statements.
Truth values
Truth and falsity are called the two possible truth values of a statement.
Premise
A statement in an argument that sets forth evidence.
Conclusion
The statement in an argument that the premises are claimed to support or imply.
Premise indicators:
Since, as indicated by, because, for, in that, may be inferred from, as, given that, seeing that for the reason that, inasmuch as, owing to.
Sometimes a single indicator can be used to identify more than one premise.
Conclusion indicators:
Therefore, wherefore, thus, consequently, we may infer, accordingly, we may conclude, it must be that, for this reason, so, entails that hence, it follows that, as a result.
Some arguments contain no indicators. With these, the reader/listener must ask such questions as: What single statement is claimed (implicitly) to follow from the others? What is the arguer trying to prove? What is the main point in the passage? The answers to these questions should point to the conclusion.
Inference
The reasoning process expressed by an argument.
Syllogistic logic
The logic that deals with categorical propositions and categorical syllogisms.
Modal logic
A kind of logic that deals with concepts such as possibility, necessity, belief, and doubt.
