1. Lesson#1 – What is an argument and how do I know its parts?

2. Today we are going to learn about what an argument is, what it is made up of, and how we may identify its major parts. By the end of this lesson you will be able to: (a) identify and label premises (b) identify and label conclusions (c) judge whether or not a collection of statements is, in fact, a logical argument. Our Goals

3. Ancient Greek Argument Example All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.

4. The reasons for something—the “whys”—are premises. The premises support someone’s claim (the conclusion), whatever the claim might be. In this case the premises are (1)all men are mortal and (2) Socrates is a man. Why? Because they support the conclusion (what one wants to prove) that Socrates is mortal. All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.

5. All pigs can fly. (Premise 1) Vaughn is a pig. (Premise 2) Therefore, Vaughn can fly. (Conclusion) Why should you believe Vaughn can fly? First, because pigs can fly. Second, because he is a pig. Finding Argument Parts Ask “Why should I believe that!” The reasons for “why you should” will be the premises and the “what” of “what you should believe” is the conclusion.

6. Exercise Identify the premises and conclusion in the following: “Twenty-eight children in the United States were killed by falling television sets between 1990 and 1997. That is four times as many people as were killed by great white shark attacks in the twentieth century. Loosely speaking, this means that watching ‘Jaws’ on TV is more dangerous than swimming in the Pacific. “The Statistical Shark,” The New York Times, September 6, 2001.

7. How close did you get? Premise One: Twenty-eight children in the US were killed by falling TV sets between 1990 and 1997. Premise Two: That is four times as many people as were killed by great white shark attacks in the 20th century. Conclusion: Watching “Jaws” on TV is more dangerous than swimming in the Pacific.

8. Recap What is an argument? A conclusion together with the premises that support it. What is a premise? A reason offered as support for another claim. What is a conclusion? The claim being supported by a premise or premises.