A good argument is made up of clear and reasonable ideas, called premises, and a logical structure. These premises must support the conclusion in a strong and organized way. A well-formed argument should also be accurate, relevant, complete, and fair. This means both the content and the way it is presented are important.
A person can accept a premise when it does not go against personal experience, when it agrees with well-supported beliefs, and when it comes from a trustworthy source. A premise is also acceptable when it is supported by good evidence or is considered common knowledge. However, it is important to be careful, because personal feelings or situations may influence how arguments are interpreted.
For instance, in my personal experience, someone said “Video games make children violent”, and I questioned by asking for reliable evidence and offering examples where video games help develop skills such as coordination and problem-solving. This shows two ways to respond to an argument: showing that a premise may be false, and explaining that the conclusion does not logically follow.
In this unit, students also studied categorical logic. This kind of logic includes statements like “All X are Y” or “Some X are not Y,” which are used in syllogisms; arguments with three parts that help form conclusions. Venn diagrams are used to check if these arguments are valid. For example: “All dogs are animals. A Labrador is a dog. Therefore, a Labrador is an animal.” The conclusion follows logically from the premises.
Additionally, propositional logic was introduced. This works with short statements and logical connectors:
A conjunction (p & q) uses “and,” as in “I like ice cream and I like cookies.” Both statements must be true.
A disjunction (p v q) uses “or,” as in “I will go to the cinema or stay home.” At least one part must be true.
A conditional (p → q) uses “if… then…,” as in “If I study, then I will pass.” If the first part is true, the second is expected to be true as well.
In conclusion, understanding what makes a good argument and how to evaluate it helps improve critical thinking. By learning to question premises and identify logical structures like syllogisms and conditionals, it becomes easier to decide when to accept or reject ideas in everyday situations and discussions
A person can accept a premise when it does not go against personal experience, when it agrees with well-supported beliefs, and when it comes from a trustworthy source. A premise is also acceptable when it is supported by good evidence or is considered common knowledge. However, it is important to be careful, because personal feelings or situations may influence how arguments are interpreted.
For instance, in my personal experience, someone said “Video games make children violent”, and I questioned by asking for reliable evidence and offering examples where video games help develop skills such as coordination and problem-solving. This shows two ways to respond to an argument: showing that a premise may be false, and explaining that the conclusion does not logically follow.
In this unit, students also studied categorical logic. This kind of logic includes statements like “All X are Y” or “Some X are not Y,” which are used in syllogisms; arguments with three parts that help form conclusions. Venn diagrams are used to check if these arguments are valid. For example: “All dogs are animals. A Labrador is a dog. Therefore, a Labrador is an animal.” The conclusion follows logically from the premises.
Additionally, propositional logic was introduced. This works with short statements and logical connectors:
A conjunction (p & q) uses “and,” as in “I like ice cream and I like cookies.” Both statements must be true.
A disjunction (p v q) uses “or,” as in “I will go to the cinema or stay home.” At least one part must be true.
A conditional (p → q) uses “if… then…,” as in “If I study, then I will pass.” If the first part is true, the second is expected to be true as well.
In conclusion, understanding what makes a good argument and how to evaluate it helps improve critical thinking. By learning to question premises and identify logical structures like syllogisms and conditionals, it becomes easier to decide when to accept or reject ideas in everyday situations and discussions