JUDGING THE RELEVANCE

AND WORTH OF IDEAS,

SOUNDNESS OF AUTHOR’S
REASONING,
AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF
THE PRESENTATION
Conclusion and
PREMISE
 What is argument?
An argument is NOT a discussion
NOR a debate.
An argument is a group (or set) of ideas
that support a point.
 Example:
You like Japanese food, so
you’ll love this sushi
restaurant.
Premise is
Conclusion a claim,
is a or a
CLAIM 1
piece of evidence that
statement
PREMISES that needs
CLAIM 2
supports theCLAIM
conclusion.
3
to be proven.
CONCLUSION
CLAIM…
 Example:
All humans are mortal.
Einstein is human.
Einstein is mortal.
Therefore,
 Conclusion:
Einstein is mortal.
Premise #1:
All humans are mortal.
Premise #2:
Einstein is human.
 Example:
I have gone to work five times a week for
the last 10 years.
During this time, it has always taken me
30 minutes to get to work.
Tomorrow, I will drive to work.
tomorrow it will take me 30 minutes to
Therefore,
get to work.
 Conclusion:
Tomorrow, it will take me 30 minutes to get to
work.
Premise #1:
I have gone to work five times a week for
the last 10 years.
Premise #2:
During this time, it has always taken me 30 minutes to
get to work.
Premise #3:
Tomorrow, I will drive to work.
Conclusion and
Premise
Indicators
 Conclusion Indicators
Words that commonly indicate a
CONCLUSION:
- therefore
- so
- hence
- thus
- as a result
- consequently
Example:
It’s flu season and you work with
kids, so you should get a flu shot.

CONCLUSION
Example:
A new process enables ordinary table
salt to be fortified with iron. Thus, iron
fortified salt could help reduce high
incidence of anemia in the world’s
population due to a deficiency of iron in
the diet.

CONCLUSION
 Premise Indicators
Words that commonly indicate a
PREMISE:
- since
- if
- because
- from which it follows
- for these reasons
- consequently
Example:
No scientific hypothesis can be
conclusively confirmed because the
possibility of someday finding evidence
to the contrary can’t be ruled out.

PREMISE
 Test yourself
Analyze the given
premises then form
a conclusion based on the
premises.
Conclusion:
1. Infants under the age of one
Do not feed honey to infants
can’t digest honey, and infant
under the age of
botulism may result. one.
Conclusion:
2. Dogs are canines. Canines are
All dogs
mammals. are mammals.
4. Public libraries
Conclusion: provide safe
spaces for people to read, study,
Public library should be
and gather but there’s no public
built in our community.
library in our community.
Identify if the following statement is a
premise or a conclusion. Write P for
Premise and C for Conclusion.
1. ____ The study of logic increases one’s ability
to understand, analyze, evaluate, and construct
arguments.
____ Thus, logic makes a vital contribution to
the curriculum of the modern university.
2. ____ A glance at the nutrition charts will
show that the various legumes differ slightly in
their nutritional profile.
____ Therefore, Eat a wide variety of beans
and peas.
3. ____ Not everything can be proved.
____ If every proposition had to be proved,
there would be no beginning to any proof.
4. ____ These facts indicate that basic kinds of
plants and animals were created.
____ Life appears abruptly and in complex forms
in the fossil record and gaps appear systematically
between various kinds.
5. ____ Since philosophy promotes wisdom in
our lives.
____ Philosophy is one of the noblest
activities in which we can engage.