Embedded Files
Introduction to Logical Arguments
Introduction to Logical Arguments
A sound, well-reasoned, and compelling text is one of the most effective and persuasive communicative acts that human beings ever create.
In this section, we’ll look take a closer look at logic to see how understanding the science of reasoning can make you a better reader and writer. Knowing the basic elements of an argument, such as key terms like argument, claim, conclusion, and premises, will help you identify the logic behind any arguments you read as you construct effective arguments in your own writing.
Watch the video at left for an introduction into logical argumentative thinking.
Logical Arguments
Logical Arguments
Any persuasive writing likely includes a logical argument to support its claims. Philosophers study arguments in depth, analyzing reasoning, logic, and validity. While you won’t examine arguments as deeply in an English course as in Philosophy or Logic, you should still be familiar with key components of argumentation. Knowing the basic elements of an argument will help you identify the logic behind any arguments you read and also help you construct effective arguments in your own writing.
Understanding these components will help you analyze and construct logical arguments in writing.
Keep in mind that not all statements are arguments, and some statements may contain multiple arguments.
Claims
Claims
A claim is a statement or opinion about a topic. It is also called a statement or proposition. A claim alone is not a complete argument—it needs support to be persuasive.
Premises
Premises
A premise is a reason or piece of evidence that supports the claim. An argument must have at least one premise to justify its conclusion. Premises are often indicated by these words:
because
for
as
since
inasmuch as
as shown by
given that
as indicated by
the reason is that
Conclusion
Conclusion
The conclusion can be thought of as the main idea of the argument, the point being proven, or the “so what?” of the argument. It is the logical outcome of the premises. To identify a conclusion in an argument:
Ask yourself: Is this statement the main point, or is it supporting another statement?
Look for indicator words that signal a conclusion:
Therefore
Thus
This means
As a result
It follows that
That’s why
This suggests
Consequently
Hence
So
Accordingly
Watch!
Watch!
This video explains the components of an argument.
Practice identifying the premises and conclusions
Practice identifying the premises and conclusions
In order to identify the premises and conclusion, you should first rewrite the argument in standard form. You do this by identifying which claim is the conclusion, then working backward to identify which claims are premises that support the conclusion. It should look like the example at right.
Evaluating Arguments
Evaluating Arguments
A formal argument may be set up so that, on its face, it looks logical. However, no matter how well-constructed the argument is, the premises must be true or any inferences based on the premises will be unsound.
One way to test the accuracy of a premise is to determine whether the premise is based upon a sample that is both representative and sufficiently large, and ask yourself whether all relevant factors have been taken into account in the analysis of data that leads to a generalization. Another way to evaluate a premise is to determine whether its source is credible. Are the authors identified? What is their background? Was the premise something you found on an undocumented website? Did you find it in a popular publication or a scholarly one? How complete, how recent, and how relevant were the studies or statistics discussed in the source? Take all of these things into consideration when evaluating an argument.
Citations
Citations
CC licensed content, Original
Modification, adaptation, and original content. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
Modification, adaptation, and original content. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
CC licensed content, Shared previously
Understanding Logical Argumentation, Structure, and Reasoning, modified. Authored by: mrbelprez. Located at: http://www.slideshare.net/mrbelprez/part-2-5-fixed-all-sections-2014-logic-and-argumentation. License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
The Argument Diagram. Authored by: Kirsten Devries . Provided by: Let's Get Writing. Located at: https://viva.pressbooks.pub/letsgetwriting/chapter/chapter-3-argument/. License: CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
All rights reserved content
What is an Argument?. Authored by: Kevin deLaplante. Located at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq8-w2BAJkU&feature=youtu.be. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
Public domain content
The Logical Structure of Arguments. Authored by: Radford University. Located at: http://lcubbison.pressbooks.com/chapter/core-201-analyzing-arguments/. License: Public Domain: No Known Copyright
Adapted from:
"Logical Arguments" by Lumen Learning. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Page updated
Report abuse