INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC SUMMARY

Logic is the study of reasoning. Logic investigates the level of correctness of the reasoning found in
arguments. An argument is a group of statements of which one is claimed to follow from the others
(the premises). A statement is a sentence that is either true or false. Every statement is either true or
false; these two possibilities are called “truth values.” Premises are statements that contain
information intended to provide support or reasons to believe a conclusion. The conclusion is the
statement that is claimed to follow from the premises. In order to help recognize arguments, we rely
on premise indicator words and phrases, and conclusion indicator words and phrases.

Inference is the term used by logicians to refer to the reasoning process that is expressed by an
argument. If a passage expresses a reasoning process—that the conclusion follows from the
premises—then we say that it makes an inferential claim. If a passage does not express a reasoning
process (explicit or implicit), then it does not make an inferential claim (it is a no inferential passage).
One type of no inferential passage is the explanation. An explanation provides reasons for why or how
an event occurred. By themselves, explanations are not arguments; however, they can form part of
an argument.

There are two types of argument: deductive and inductive. A deductive argument is one in which it is
claimed that the conclusion follows necessarily from the premises. An inductive argument is one in
which it is claimed that the premises make the conclusion probable. In other words, it is claimed that,
under the assumption that the premises are true, it is improbable for the conclusion to be false.

When we evaluate deductive arguments, we use the following concepts: valid, invalid, sound, and
unsound. A valid argument is one where, assuming the premises are true, it is impossible for the
conclusion to be false. An invalid argument is one where, assuming the premises are true, it is
possible for the conclusion to be false.

A strong inductive argument is one such that if the premises are assumed to be true, then the
conclusion is probably true. In other words, if the premises are assumed to be true, then it is
improbable that the conclusion is false. A weak inductive argument is one such that if the premises
are assumed to be true, then the conclusion is not probably true.