Essential Components of a Logical Argument
A logical argument is a piece of reasoning whose conclusion is valid because of how it is set up. A valid argument, however, is not necessarily true. Logical arguments state a series of valid premises that ultimately lead to a conclusion. An effective argument makes it clear how the premises relate to the conclusion by illustrating the connection with inferences.
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Propositions
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A proposition is a statement or assertion. Each proposition is either true or false. Propositions can either be asserted, said to be true, or denied, said to be false. These are the building blocks of a logical argument. Propositions are not exactly the same thing as the sentences that convey them; the same proposition can be stated in a variety of ways. For example, "Ronnie drives his car" can also be stated as "Ronnie's car is driven by Ronnie" without changing the meaning of the proposition. Hence, the important thing is not the wording of a statement but rather the meaning.
Premises
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A premise is a proposition whose truth is used to infer that of others. Specifically, premises are used to infer the truth of a conclusion. An argument requires one or more premises to provide evidence for accepting the argument and its conclusions. Each premise must be stated explicitly to avoid confusion.
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Inferences
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The premises of the argument are used to make further propositions, a process called inference. This means that you start with a premise that has already been accepted to create new propositions. To point out inferences, you may use the word "therefore" or a phrase such as "implies that," which shows the connection between propositions. This is an extremely important part of a logical argument because these connections must ultimately prove the validity of your conclusion.
Conclusion
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The conclusion of a logical argument is yet another proposition. You will affirm your conclusion on the firm foundation of your original premises and the inferences from them. An argument may be logically valid even if it has false premises. That is, its inferences from its false premises may be logically sound. The conclusion of an argument can only be sound if it makes valid inferences from premises that are true.
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References
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