Good or Bad Arguments

Good
SOUND Argument COGENT

True
Premises
VALID STRONG
False
Deductive Premises Non-Deductive

INVALID WEAK

Bad
Argument
Steps to follow:

1. Identify the conclusion and the premises.

2. Put the argument in standard form.

3. Decide if the argument is deductive or non-

deductive.
4. Determine whether the argument
succeeds logically.
5. If the argument succeeds logically, assess
whether the premises are true. For premises
that are backed-up by a sub-arguments,
repeat all the steps for the sub-arguments.
6. Make a final judgement: is the argument
good or bad?
Summary
1. Identify the conclusion and the premises.
2. Put the argument in standard form.
3. Decide if the argument is deductive or non-deductive.
4. Determine whether the argument succeeds logically.
5. If the argument succeeds logically, assess whether the premises are
true. For premises that are backed-up by a sub-arguments, repeat all
the steps for the sub-arguments.
6. Make a final judgement: is the argument good or bad?