Chapter 4 Flashcards
Good arguments: an introduction
Q: What is a cogent argument?
A: Argument in which the premises are rationally acceptable and also properly connected to the conclusion. They are properly connected if they are relevant to the conclusion and, considered together, provide good grounds for it.
Q: What are ARG conditions?
A: Conditions of a cogent argument. The premise must: (1) be acceptable, (2) be relevant to the conclusion, and (3) when considered together, provide sufficient grounds for the conclusion. For an argument to be cogent, all ARG conditions must be satisfied.
Q: What is the acceptability of premises?
A: A condition in which the premises of an argument are reasonable to believe
Q: What is goodness of grounds (G condition)?
A: Sufficiency of premises to provide good reasons or full evidence for the conclusion. Premises offer sufficient grounds if, assuming that they are accepted, they would be relevant to the conclusion and sufficient to make it reasonable to accept that conclusion.
Q: What is Relevance of premises (R condition)?
A: Premises of an argument are relevant to its conclusion provided they give at least some evidence, or reasons, in favor of that conclusion.
Q: What is Deductive entailment?
A: Most complete relationship of logical support. If, and only if, one statement entails another, then it is impossible for the second statement to be false when the first statement is true.
Q: What is deductive validity?
A: Characteristic of an argument in which the premises deductively entail the conclusion. In a deductively valid argument, it is not possible for the conclusion to be false when the premise is true.
Q: What is a conductive argument?
A: Argument in which premises (typically several in number) are put forward to support a conclusion convergently. Typically, in conductive arguments, we deal, with matters on which there are various considerations pros and cons that count for and against the conclusion.
Q: What is inductive support?
A: Support from experience to a conclusion about other experience, based on the assumption that relevant similarities in the world will persist. When there is inductive support, the premises do not deductively entail the conclusion.
Q: What is an analogy?
A: A comparison based on significant resemblances between the cases that are compared. When the premises are connected to the conclusion on the basis of an analogy, the premises describe similarities between two things and state or assume that those two things will be similar in further ways not described. The claim is made that one of the things has a further property, and the inference is drawn that the other thing will have the same further property.
Q: What is Rational persuasion?
A: Causing someone to come to believe a claim by putting forward good reasons, or cogent argument, on its behalf.
Q: What is a sound argument?
A: Argument in which the premises are true and deductively entail the conclusion.
Q: What is validity?
A: See deductive validity. Within logic, the terms deductively valid and valid are nearly always used as equivalent in meaning, although outside logic this is not always the case.
Q: What is dialectical context?
A: Context of controversy and discussion in which an argument for a conclusion about a disputed issue is formulated and put forward.
