Recognizing Arguments free essay sample

In the first part of the assignment we were asked to identify components of arguments, premise and conclusion, for the passages. Where applicable we are to highlight key words or phrases that identify a claim as a premise or a conclusion. A premise is the support for the conclusion. (Missimer, 2005) The first example has several premises as follows if Sue’s baby is a boy it will be named Mark and if it is a girl it will be named Margaret. Another premise is that Sue will have a boy or girl. So† is a keyword indicating the conclusion that Sue’s baby will be named Mark or Margaret. In the next example, â€Å"because† is a keyword in the premise and indicates that the conclusion has preceded and a reason will follow. This premise is that fantasy novels are fiction and works of fiction are on the second floor. The conclusion here is if the library has The Lord of Ring, you won’t find it on the first floor. We will write a custom essay sample on Recognizing Arguments or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In the last example, a keyword can be found in a premise. In the second part of the assignment we are to identify arguments as strict or loose. A loose argument merely maintains or asserts. The addition of reasons distinguishes a strict argument from a loose argument. In strict arguments the claim is supported by reasons. (Missimer, 2005) The first argument is strict as in it provides a claim that the person could not find a gas station and ran out of gas therefore he was late to class. The second argument is also strict as it argues whether or not you should drink cranberry juice. The conclusion is that you should because it’s a good source of vitamin C and it keeps the kidneys healthy. The third example I believe is strict though it seems like it is loose. You can infer that your health may be affected by the low amounts of radiation emitted from cell phones after seeing the study that researchers have conducted on brain activity. The fourth example is loose because the reason she gives needs backing. A person doesn’t necessarily need a lawyer to assist with their paperwork and it is not a crime to ask for assistance whether you know the person or not. Her reason is not valid and she will need some proof to be able to stand on this claim. In the last part of the assignment we are asked to identify the arguments as inductive or deductive. An argument is said to be deductive if its conclusion is claimed to necessarily follow the premise. An inductive argument claims only that its conclusion probably follows from its premises. That is, the inferential claim is that since the premises are true or acceptable, the conclusion is likely to be true or acceptable. (Missimer, 2005) The first and second examples are inductive because even though the premises may be true, it is still possible for the conclusion to be false. They will then have to be looked at to see if they are strong or weak and if all premises are true or if one or more is false. We can then determine if the argument is reliable or unreliable. The third example is a deductive argument if we go by the definition above. If the premises are true then it simply isnt possible for the conclusion to be false. If you have a deductive argument and you accept the truth of the premises, then you must also accept the truth of the conclusion; if you deny it, then you are denying logic itself.