ASCT Chapter 1 Argument Basics
Chapter 1: Argument Basics
1.1 Identifying Arguments
The first step of the critical thinking process concerns the ability to identity arguments; this, in turn, requires that we know what an argument is. For the purposes of this text, we will define an argument as a set of propositions, one of which (the conclusion) is claimed to follow from the others (the premises). So, according to this definition, every argument has exactly one conclusion and can have any number of premises. Again, conclusions and premises are all propositions, which are statements that can be said to be true or false. To illustrate, take a few minutes to determine whether each of the following sentences is a proposition:
Proposition or Not?
The sky is blue: _______
France is ruled by a king: _______
Dogs bark: _______
God exists: _______
The sum of 2 and 3 is 5: _______
Ice cream tastes good: _______
I’m sure you had no problem understanding why sentences like “the sky is blue” and “dogs bark” are propositions. But did you have more difficulty with sentences like “God exists” and “ice cream tastes good”? Like the previous examples, these are also propositions. Granted, we may not know whether God does or does not exist, and we might think there is no objective fact of the matter whether ice cream tastes good, but it is still appropriate to say of these propositions that they are true or false. The point is grammatical—if someone says to you “God exists,” it is at least grammatically appropriate to respond “true” or “false.” Whether you are right depends on whether God does in fact exist. Note that responding “true” or “false” is not grammatically appropriate in each example of a non-proposition.
It is also important that we understand the distinction between propositions and sentences. A proposition is defined by its meaning, while a sentences is defined by the words that constitute it. Difference sentences, then, can express the same proposition. For example, “Au
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temps de la
1.1 Identifying Arguments
The first step of the critical thinking process concerns the ability to identity arguments; this, in turn, requires that we know what an argument is. For the purposes of this text, we will define an argument as a set of propositions, one of which (the conclusion) is claimed to follow from the others (the premises). So, according to this definition, every argument has exactly one conclusion and can have any number of premises. Again, conclusions and premises are all propositions, which are statements that can be said to be true or false. To illustrate, take a few minutes to determine whether each of the following sentences is a proposition:
Proposition or Not?
The sky is blue: _______
France is ruled by a king: _______
Dogs bark: _______
God exists: _______
The sum of 2 and 3 is 5: _______
Ice cream tastes good: _______
I’m sure you had no problem understanding why sentences like “the sky is blue” and “dogs bark” are propositions. But did you have more difficulty with sentences like “God exists” and “ice cream tastes good”? Like the previous examples, these are also propositions. Granted, we may not know whether God does or does not exist, and we might think there is no objective fact of the matter whether ice cream tastes good, but it is still appropriate to say of these propositions that they are true or false. The point is grammatical—if someone says to you “God exists,” it is at least grammatically appropriate to respond “true” or “false.” Whether you are right depends on whether God does in fact exist. Note that responding “true” or “false” is not grammatically appropriate in each example of a non-proposition.
It is also important that we understand the distinction between propositions and sentences. A proposition is defined by its meaning, while a sentences is defined by the words that constitute it. Difference sentences, then, can express the same proposition. For example, “Au
4
temps de la