Intro to Logic - Arguments

What is required for an argument?

• premise and conclusion

• premise and conviction

• conclusion and belief

• pineapples occuring on pizza

Which of these is an argument?

• The loudest animal in the world is a prawn. The Pistol Shrimp is capable of snapping its claw shut so rapidly, that it creates a bubble which collapses to produce a sonic blast, louder than a Concorde’s sonic boom.

• The death penalty must be abolished immediately.

• It has never snowed in Cairo Egypt, it follows probably that it will not snow this year.

The purpose of the premise or premises is to set forth the reasons or evidence

given in support of the conclusion.

• True

• False

What is the Conclusion here?

Since the good, according to Plato, is that which furthers a person’s real interests, it follows that in any given case when the good is known, men will seek it.

• it follows that in any given case when the good is known, men will seek it.

• Since the good, according to Plato, is that which furthers a person’s real interests

What is the conclusion?

Since private property helps people define themselves, since it frees people from mundane cares of daily subsistence, and since it is finite, no individual should accumulate so much property that others are prevented from accumulating the necessities of life.

• no individual should accumulate so much property that others are prevented from accumulating the necessities of life.

• Since private property helps people define themselves

• since it frees people from mundane cares of daily subsistence

• since it is finite

Draw a squirrel

Any passage that contains an argument must contain a claim that something

is supported by evidence or reasons.

• True

• False

A mammal is a vertebrate animal that nurses its offspring. Thus, cats and dogs are mammals, as are sheep, monkeys, rabbits, and bears.

• Argument

• Nonargument