1. Whales are fish. 2. Fish have gills. Therefore, whales have gills.

bad because it violates the Truth Condition

bad because it violates the Logic Condition

1. Whales are mammals. 2. Mammals nurse their young. Therefore, whales nurse their young.

bad because it violates the Truth Condition

bad because it violates the Logic Condition

1. Almost all human beings are born with two arms and two legs. 2. Bonzo was born with two arms and two legs. Therefore, Bonzo is a human being.

bad because it violates the Logic Condition

bad because it violates the Truth Condition

bad because it violates the Logic Condition

1. My grandfather smoked every day of his adult life. 2. My grandfather never got lung cancer and lived to be 90 years old. Therefore, smoking does not cause lung cancer.

bad because it violates the Logic Condition

bad because it violates the Truth Condition

bad because it violates the Logic Condition

2.5 What Is A Good Argument? (Part 2)

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| Written by Kdelapla

Kdelapla

Community Contributor

Quizzes Created: 12 | Total Attempts: 21,827

Questions: 10 | Attempts: 224 | Updated: Mar 20, 2023

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Quiz yourself on the terms and concepts you learned in this section!

Questions and Answers

1.

If the intended audience of an argument regards the premises as implausible, then it can’t be a good argument for that audience.
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
A. True

Explanation
True. It can't be a good argument for that audience. For that audience, the argument violates the Truth Condition (interpreted, remember, as a plausibility condition). For another audience the story may be different.

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2.

If one of the premises of an argument is false, then it can’t be a good argument.
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
B. False

Explanation
False. A good argument can have a false premise, it just can't have an implausible premise (for the intended audience).

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3.

All good arguments must satisfy both the Truth Condition and the Logic Condition.
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
A. True

Explanation
True. Because we defined these as necessary conditions for an argument to qualify as "good".

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4.

If an argument is invalid, then it cannot satisfy the Truth Condition.
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
B. False

Explanation
False. An invalid argument can still be strong, and therefore satisfy the Truth Condition.

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5.

A strong argument is an invalid argument.
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
A. True

Explanation
True. Strong arguments are invalid. That doesn't make them BAD arguments.

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6.

An argument is strong if the conclusion follows from the premises with high probability.
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
A. True

Explanation
True, by definition.

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7.

1. Whales are fish. 2. Fish have gills. Therefore, whales have gills.
- A.
  
  Good argument
- B.
  
  Bad because it violates the Truth Condition
- C.
  
  Bad because it violates the Logic Condition
Correct Answer
B. Bad because it violates the Truth Condition

Explanation
(B). The logic is fine, the only problem is that the first premise is false.

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8.

1. Whales are mammals. 2. Mammals nurse their young. Therefore, whales nurse their young.
- A.
  
  Good argument
- B.
  
  Bad because it violates the Truth Condition
- C.
  
  Bad because it violates the Logic Condition
Correct Answer
A. Good argument

Explanation
(A). All the premises are true, and the conclusion follows from the premises.

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9.

1. Almost all human beings are born with two arms and two legs. 2. Bonzo was born with two arms and two legs. Therefore, Bonzo is a human being.
- A.
  
  Good argument
- B.
  
  Bad because it violates the Truth Condition
- C.
  
  Bad because it violates the Logic Condition
Correct Answer
C. Bad because it violates the Logic Condition

Explanation
(C) This is a weak argument (i.e. it violates the Logic Condition). Bonzo could be a chimpanzee, or any other animal that has two arms and two legs.

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10.

1. My grandfather smoked every day of his adult life. 2. My grandfather never got lung cancer and lived to be 90 years old. Therefore, smoking does not cause lung cancer.
- A.
  
  Good argument
- B.
  
  Bad because it violates the Truth Condition
- C.
  
  Bad because it violates the Logic Condition
Correct Answer
C. Bad because it violates the Logic Condition

Explanation
(C) Even assuming the premises are true, the conclusion doesn't follow. An anecdotal sample of ONE doesn't even support a correlation, much less the causal claim expressed in the conclusion.

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2.5 What Is A Good Argument? (Part 2)

If the intended audience of an argument regards the premises as implausible, then it can’t be a good argument for that audience.

If one of the premises of an argument is false, then it can’t be a good argument.

All good arguments must satisfy both the Truth Condition and the Logic Condition.

If an argument is invalid, then it cannot satisfy the Truth Condition.

A strong argument is an invalid argument.

An argument is strong if the conclusion follows from the premises with high probability.

1. Whales are fish. 2. Fish have gills. Therefore, whales have gills.

1. Whales are mammals. 2. Mammals nurse their young. Therefore, whales nurse their young.

1. Almost all human beings are born with two arms and two legs. 2. Bonzo was born with two arms and two legs. Therefore, Bonzo is a human being.

1. My grandfather smoked every day of his adult life. 2. My grandfather never got lung cancer and lived to be 90 years old. Therefore, smoking does not cause lung cancer.