Basic Kinds of Argument

Basic Kinds of Argument

by Luis Binala

​What is an argument?

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Argument: a group of statements consist of at least one premise and only

one conclusion.​

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​What is an premise?

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Premise: the statement which serves as support or reason for accepting the

conclusion.

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​What is a conclusion?

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Conclusion: the statement which is affirmed on the basis of the premise/s.

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​What is a statement/proposition?

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Statement/proposition: a declarative sentence that must either be true or false.

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​What are the purposes of using arguments?

​We use arguments for at least three

purposes:

1. To clarify our thoughts

2. To persuade others to change a certain point of view or to take a definite course of action

3. To discover truth

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​Two Basic Kinds of Argument

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1. Deductive Argument

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​2. Inductive Argument

​What is a deductive argument

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Deductive argument is an argument in which the premises are claimed to support the conclusion in such a way that if they are assumed true, it is impossible for the conclusion to be false.

​Example of a Deductive Argument

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(P1) All MAV SHS students are

intelligent.

(P2) Mark is an MAV SHS student.

(C) Therefore, Mark is necessarily intelligent.

​What is an inductive argument

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Inductive argument is an argument in which the premises are claimed to support the conclusion in such a way that if they are assumed true, then based on that assumption it is only probable that the conclusion is true.

​Example of a Deductive Argument

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(P1) Mark is intelligent.

(P2) JM is also intelligent.

(C) Therefore, all MAV SHS students are probably

intelligent.

​How to determine the kind of argument?

​We can do so by considering the following factors:

1. The occurrence of special indicator words

2. The nature of the inferential link between

premises and conclusion

3. The form of argumentation the arguer

uses

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​Special indicator words for deductive argument

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- necessarily

- certainly

- absolutely

- definitely

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​Special indicator words for inductive argument

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- probable/improbable

- plausible/implausible

- likely/unlikely

- reasonable to conclude

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​Nature of inferential link in deductive argument

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- the premises provide certain or absolute support for the conclusion

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​Nature of inferential link in inductive argument

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- the premises does not provide certain support but do provide probabilistic support.

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