Argument (philosophy)

An argument, in logic and philosophy, may be defined in its most ordinary sense as a set of statements, one of which is the conclusion, the others premises (or premisses). The premises are intended or purported to show that the conclusion is, or is probably, true.

When an argument is presented to show that its conclusion is true (not just probably true), the argument is called deductive. When an argument is presented to show that its conclusion is probably true, the argument is called inductive. A major part of the study of logic is the development of tests and techniques for determining whether or not the premises actually do support an argument's conclusion as intended. The introduction of a vocabulary for the description of argument types and argument components assists in this study.

Examples of Arguments

Here is an example of a simple argument:

No birds are hamsters.

Polly is a bird.

Therefore, Polly is not a hamster.

This argument is not presented as it might occur in its "natural habitat," i.e., in the context of ordinary speech or discussion. Rather, it is presented in a way that makes plain the various parts of the argument: the premises come first, the conclusion (signalled by the word therefore) is put last. Put in this way, we may further dissect the argument even further an analyze the relationship between the premises and the conclusion.