CRITICAL THINKING

Lecture 2: What is an argument?

Starting Points
1. Human being is defined as rational animal, which able to offer reasons for thinking and
action.
2. Whenever we give reasons for what to believe or what to do, we are making an
argument.
3. The cores of critical thinking are reasoning and arguments.
The activity is called reasoning. Reasoning means offering arguments.
 Learning Outcomes
Argument
1. To know what is
argument.
2.To know the basic What is What is not
structure of argument? argument?
arguments.
3. To know identifying Reasoning / Unsupported
Statements Reports
/recognizing Inference Statements
arguments.
4.To know what How to Conditional
Illustrations
argument is not. identify ? Statements

Explanations
WHAT IS AN ARGUMENT?
What is an argument?
• Reasoning is:
1. A logical process of argumentative by deriving a conclusion from certain
premises.

• A case in Sherlock Holmes:

The crime was committed by someone in the house. Although the living room
window is open, there are no footprints outside, despite the softness of the
ground after yesterday's rain. The clasp on the box was not broken but opened
with a key that had been hidden behind the clock. The dog did not bark.
What is an argument?
• Is argument…
1. Disagreement?

2. Quarrel?

3. Squabble?

4. Contradiction?
What is an argument?
• Definitions:
1. A set of reasons offered in support of a claim.

2. A connected series of statements that are intended to give reasons of some kind
for statement.
What is an argument?
• Examples:
1. All management consultants are bald. Peter is bald. So Peter is a
management consultant.
2.Identical twins sometimes have different IQ test scores. Yet these twins
inherit exactly the same genes. So environment must play some part in
determining a person’s IQ.
3. All cats are dogs. All dogs eat fish. So, all cats eat fish.

What are the common features?

What is an argument?
The common features:
1. Consists of two statements or more .
2. One of those statements is claimed or intended to be proved or supported,
while others prove or support.

How about these?

3. The new ruling alliance is better than the previous one.

4.There are more than ten people in this room. We are at the ground floor. This is
Southern University College.
 true
What is an argument? statement
false
• The following are the same:
question
1. Claim
2. Statement
greeting
3. Assertion… A statement is a
sentence sentence that can
command / sensibly be verified
request as either true or
false.

proposal

exclamation
What is an argument?
Arguments are constructed out of statements,
but arguments are not just a list of statements.

Examples:
1. A pink elephant is flying in the sky. The zoo is open. Therefore, the prime
minister is a male.
2.There are many books in the library. There is no bookstore in the campus.
So all students of SUC are nerd.
 Premises are
statements offered as
What is an argument? reason why we should
accept the conclusion

Definition:
• An argument is a connected series of statements that
are intended to give reasons of some kind for Premise
statement. Premise 1
2

• What is “a connected series of statements”? …

 Premises

• What is “giving reasons of some kind for statement”?

 Conclusion

Conclusion
What is an Argument?
• Every argument must have these two component parts:

Premises + Conclusion = Arguments

An argument is a group of statements, one or more of which (called the

premises) are intended to prove or support another statement (called the
conclusion).
HOW TO IDENTIFY?
How to identify an argument
Step 1: find out the logical indicators
Step 2: find out the premises and conclusion
Step 3: formalize it
What is an argument?
Step 1: find out the logical indicators
Since Because Therefore Thus
For Given that Hence Consequently
Seeing that Being that So Accordingly
Inasmuch as As It follows that For this reason
In view of the fact As indicated by That is why Which shows that
that

In support of this It has been Implies that As a result

observed that

The relevant data We may infer that Proves that

are
What is an argument?
• There are logical indicators always can be found in reasoning:
1. Since it’s always wrong to kill a human being, it follows that capital
punishment is wrong, because capital punishment takes the life of a human
being.

Logical Indicators

2.Identical twins sometimes have different IQ test scores. Yet these twins
inherit exactly the same genes. So environment must play some part in
determining a person’s IQ.
What is an argument?
Step 2: Find out the premises and conclusion
Premises Conclusion
Since Because Therefore Thus
For Given that Hence Consequently
Seeing that Being that So Accordingly
Inasmuch as As It follows that For this reason
In view of the fact that As indicated by That is why Which shows that

In support of this It has been observed Implies that As a result

that

The relevant data are We may infer that Proves that

What is an argument?
Step 3: formalize it

P1: ……
P2: …… Premise(s)
P1: ……
P3: ……
∴ C: ……
…………
∴ C: …… Conclusion
What is an argument?
• Formalize an argument:
P1: ……… 1. All management consultants are bald. Peter is bald. So
P2: ……… Peter is a management consultant.
2. Environment must play some part in determining a
P3: ……… person’s IQ. Because identical twins sometimes have
………...… different IQ test scores. Yet these twins inherit exactly
the same genes.
∴ C: …..…
3. All cats are dogs. So, all cats eat fish. Because all dogs
eat fish.
What is an argument?
All management consultants are bald. Peter is bald. So Peter is
a management consultant.
Logical Indicator

P1: All management consultants are bald.

Premises
P2: Peter is bald.
C: So Peter is a management consultant. Conclusion
What is an argument?
Environment must play some part in determining a person’s IQ. Because
identical twins sometimes have different IQ test scores. Yet these twins
inherit exactly the same genes.
Logical Indicator

P1: Identical twins sometimes have different IQ test scores.

P2: Yet these twins inherit exactly the same genes. Premises

C: So environment must play some part in determining a Conclusion

person’s IQ.
What is an argument?
All cats are dogs. So, all cats eat fish. Because all dogs eat fish.

Logical Indicator Logical Indicator

P1. All cats are dogs. Premises

P2. All dogs eat fish.
C:So, all cats eat fish. Conclusion
Common Traps in finding arguments
1. Unable to find the argument in given context.
2. Unable to find out the premises and conclusion.
3. Misidentifying premise as conclusion or vice versa.
What is an argument?
• Tips on finding the conclusion:
1. Find out the issue and position
2. Conclusion is often at the beginning or the end of passage
3. Ask yourself, “what is it trying to prove?”
4. Put the word “therefore”, if it fits, that is the conclusion.
5. Fill in the scheme: the writer believes (conclusion) because (premises).
Concluding Remarks
1.An argument is a connected series of statements that are intended to
give reasons of some kind for statement.
2.Every argument must consist of premises and conclusion.

3.Reasoning is a logical process of argumentative by deriving a conclusion

from certain premises.