Types of arguments

Una has circles under her eyes, is yawning, and looks tired, I’m certain she didn’t get much sleep last night. The argument is inductive. Even if the premises “Una has circles under her eyes,” ”Una is yawning” and ”Una looks tired” are true, it is possible that the conclusion ”she didn’t get much sleep last night” is false. The premises are probably symptoms of an illness.

2. Grace concluded that psychotherapists caused indigestion, because every time she had a session, she left with a horrible stomachache. The argument is inductive. While there is probable cause that psychotherapy sessions are the cause of stomach ache, especially given they occur every time, it is not a sure guarantee that other reasons are not the reasons for the stomach pain.

3. If a bug is a spider, it must have eight legs. A daddy-longlegs has six legs; consequently, a daddy-longlegs is not a spider. The argument is deductive. The conclusion ”a daddy-longlegs is not a spider” comes from the definitive proof that a daddy-longlegs has six legs and all spiders must have eight legs.

2a: Argument Identification and Analysis

The key concepts of an argument are the claim, counterclaim and reasons.

1. The statement ”You say many women at the most elite colleges intend to ‘put aside their careers in favor of raising children” is the claim in the argument. The claim comes before the counterclaim which states ”But why shouldn’t the raising of children be considered a career as well?”

The author concludes that no woman need feel any guilt for opting to fill her days with whichever activities give her the greatest joy and fulfillment.

The reasons for making the argument are: Few would deny that being a stay-at-home parent is a terrifically demanding job, requiring unlimited ’people skills’ and a total commitment to a workweek that recognizes no concept of overtime, not to mention a paycheck. Also, many women at the most elite colleges intend to ‘put aside their careers in favor of raising children and therefore, one is allowed to choose what makes them happy.

2. The claim of the argument is that ”Mr. Gonzales’s record makes him unqualified to take on this role or to represent the American justice system to the rest of the world.”

The author concludes that the Senate should reject Mr. Gonzales’s nomination.

The reasons for making the argument are: Mr. Gonzales’s record makes him unqualified for the appointment. Also, the author uses the premise that the attorney general does not merely head up the Justice Department and he is responsible for ensuring that America is a nation in which justice prevails.

2b: Constructing Original Arguments

Inductive argument: Michael is an American who does not watch soccer because most Americans do not understand the rules of a soccer game and they prefer watching baseball and baseball.

The argument concludes that Michael does not watch soccer.

The reasons are the premises that: Most Americans do not understand the rules of a soccer game and they prefer basketball and baseball.

The statement above is inductive because the reasons support the argument in such a way that if the premises are true, then it is highly likely that the conclusion is also true. Also, if both premises are true, it is probable that the conclusion is false. For example, maybe the reason Michael does not watch soccer is that he does not have a cable connection or he is usually engaged when football games are live on television.

Deductive Argument: The theater does not give access to children under the age of sixteen. Lisa is fourteen years old and therefore, she will not see the show today.

The argument concludes that Lisa will not access the theater.

The reasons are: Children under sixteen cannot access the show and, Lisa is fourteen years old.

In the statement, it is impossible for Lisa to access the show because the rules do not favor her, i.e. the conclusion cannot be false when the premises are true. The conclusion that Lisa cannot access the theater follows the definitive inferences which are also true and support the conclusion fully. Also, the conclusion is sound and valid because there is a logical connection between the reasons and the conclusion. Therefore the argument is deductive.

2c: Inductive or Deductive Argument Examples

Deductive argument: ”If a project is behind schedule or over budget, private companies pay a hefty fee and make up the difference, since they financed that project. If a project isn’t maintained and operated according to strict standards throughout the contract, the private sector could pay substantial fines. The same is often not true of purely publicly financed projects” (Peters, 2017).

The author concludes that private companies and private sector can both incur a hefty fee and substantial fines.

Two conditions can cost a private construction company hefty fees: being behind schedule and over estimating the budget. The two premises are logically related to the conclusion that private enterprises pay the hefty fee for failure to follow the rules. Essentially, a company is responsible for a project from the time of inception to completion which makes it liable for both the positive and negative outcomes from the project. Also, primarily, failure to adhere to standards results in fines even in other sectors, and it is, therefore, logical to deduct that private pay substantial fees.

References

Premise and Conclusion Indicator Words. (2017). Cleveland State University. Retrieved 17 July 2017, from [academic.csuohio.edu/polen/LC9_Help/1/11pcindicators.htm]

Peters, M. (2017). The Benefits of Private Financing for Public Works. The New York Times. Retrieved 17 July 2017, from [ww.nytimes.com/2017/07/17/opinion/the-benefitsof private-financing-for-public-works.html?ref=opinion]