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Business Logic - Arguments

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19 views6 pages

Business Logic - Arguments

Uploaded by

pamela.luna041605
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Business Logic

arguments basics

Getting to Accept - Reject - Suspend Judgment

Argument
● An argument is an attempt to convince someone (possibly yourself)
that a particular claim, called a conclusion, is true,
- The rest of the argument is a collection of claims called the
premises, which are given as the reasons for believing the
conclusion is true.
- The conclusion is sometimes called the issued that is being
debated.

Argument Basics

Premises
1. Acceptable
2. Relevant
Conclusion

About Premises

1. May be stated or unstated


The laws of nature and moral law are one and the same.

[Human beings can understand the laws of nature.]


[Human beings must follow the laws of nature.]

So, the human community is charged with the task of ordering its life
according to the same kind of objective principles by which the cosmos itself is
ordered. -- Adapted from The American Soul, by Jacob Needleman

2. May be dependent or independent


- Dependent premises need at least one other premise to provide
logical support for a conclusion.
- Independent premises provide some support for an argument’s
conclusion whether or not any other premises are present (given
reasonable assumptions).

Dependent
In every free society, which the U.S. intends to be, there must be opposite
parties and violent dissensions.
Business Logic
arguments basics

Generally, one party must prevail over the others.


A free society cannot be preserved if the parties do not commit to remaining
united even if they don’t prevail.

So, a durably free America must include both strong dissent and commitment
to preserve the union. Adapted from Thomas Jefferson

Independent
In every free society, there must be opposite parties and violent dissensions.

A free society cannot be preserved if the parties do not commit to remaining


united.

So, a free America can be expected to include both strong dissent and
commitment to preserve the union.

3. May be indicated by lead-in words or phrases

Indicator Words
● Since…
● For the reason that…
● For…
● In view of…
● Because…
● This is implied by…
● In as much as…
● Given that…
● Suppose that…
● It follows from…
● It follows from…
● Due to…

4. May need support or explanation


- This is usually provided in a supporting or explanatory paragraph or in
more detailed discussion.

5. May be surrounded by irrelevancies


Business Logic
arguments basics

About Conclusions

1. May be stated or unstated

Religious freedom is the first freedom guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.

It was also the single most important reason why the earliest settlers in the
Colonies left the safety and relative comfort of their homes to start new lives
here.

The bedrock freedoms of American civilization will always need to be


protected and interpreted for the times.

So, we must still interpret and defend religious freedom.

2. May be controversial

Madonna’s productions frequently contain religious themes and symbolism.

Her work has been the topic of serious study by respected scholars of religion.

So, Madonna’s work, even her highly sexual material, must be protected as
religious expression by the First Amendment.

3. May be indicated by lead-in words or phrases


● Thus…
● Therefore…
● This shows that…
● So…
● Accordingly...
● This implies that…
● Hence…
● Consequently…
● This proves that…
● Ergo…
● It follows that…
● This suggests that…
Business Logic
arguments basics

4. Must contain only terms found in the premises (or their


equivalents)
- The presence of new terms in a conclusion is strong evidence of
unstated premises.

About Arguments

Valid Arguments: Argument is valid if it is impossible for the premises to be


true and the conclusion false (at the same time; otherwise it is invalid.)

Strong and Weak Arguments: Invalid arguments are classified on a scale


from strong to weak.

An argument is strong if it is very unlikely for the premises to be true and the
conclusion false (at the same time);

An argument is weak if it is likely for the premises to be true and the


conclusion false.

What are the Claims in the Argument?


The Standard a Poor’s index rose 4% today. Dick has $2,000 in an S&P index
mutual fund. So Dicks mutual fund account went up $80 today.

Premise 1: The S&P index rose 4% today.


Premise 2: Dick has $2,000 in an S&P index mutual fund.
Conclusion: Dick’s mutual fund account went up $80 today.

Is this a valid argument?


Business Logic
arguments basics

Analysis: This is a valid argument: It is impossible for the premises to be true


and the conclusion false.
Whether it is a good argument depends on whether its premises are true.
Tests for an Argument to be Good
● The premises are plausible
● The premises are more plausible than the conclusion
● The argument is valid or strong

What are the Claims in the Argument?


Señora Vez is an economics professor. All economics professors are
socialists. So Señora Vez is a socialist.

Premise 1: Señora Vez is an economics professor


Premise 2: All economics professors are socialists
Conclusión: Señora Vez is a socialist

Is this a valid argument?


Analysis: This is a valid argument: It is impossible for the premises to be true
and the conclusion to be false.

Is it a good argument? NO! The second premise is false.

Deductive and Inductive Arguments


One way o/f conceptualizing arguments is by the degree of confidence one is
supposed to have in the conclusion if the premises are true.

Deductive arguments
- are constructed with the intention of supporting their conclusions
perfectly, that is, with premises that, if true, guarantee the truth of the
conclusion.

Inductive arguments
- are constructed with the intention of providing the strongest possible
support for the conclusion, even though they are unable to guarantee
the truth of the conclusion.

Explanations
Why is this claim true?
Business Logic
arguments basics

An inferential explanation is a collection of claims that can be understood as


“Something Happened” because of
● A
● B
● C
- We call A, B, and C the explanation.
- “Something Happened” is the claim being explained.

When is an explanation good?


● The claim is highly plausible.
● The explanation addresses the correct claim.
● The explanation is plausible.
● The explanation is valid and strong.
● The explanation is not circular.

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