Types of Statement Indicators: Decision Indicators

30.01.2018 |

Episode #three of the form Logic basics: Understanding arguments past Gary Curtis

In yesterday'southward lesson, you were introduced to argument indicator words and learned how to utilize them to tell the difference between an argument and a description or other type of passage. In today'south lesson, you will learn how to utilize a specific blazon of argument indicator to analyze the construction of an argument.

Analyzing Argument Structure

One time you've recognized that a passage contains an argument, the next skill to larn is the ability to analyze its structure. By "structure," I mean identifying which of the argument's statements are premises and which is the conclusion. Assuming that the passage contains a unmarried argument, identifying the conclusion is the easiest way to analyze its structure. If the passage contains more than 1 argument, then identifying the decision will help reveal that fact, since every statement has simply one conclusion.

Analyzing the premises-and-conclusion structure of an statement is a vital step in agreement and evaluating it. If one mistakes a premise for the conclusion, whatsoever subsequent evaluation of the argument will miss the marker.

Since arguments incorporate both premises and conclusions, in that location are two types of statement indicators:

• premise indicators: argument indicators that bespeak that a statement is a premise

• decision indicators: statement indicators that bespeak that a statement is a determination

The rest of this lesson will exist devoted to conclusion indicators, and tomorrow, nosotros'll look at premise indicators.

Decision Indicators

A decision indicator is a discussion or phrase that indicates that the statement information technology's attached to is a conclusion. Typically, determination indicators immediately precede the conclusion, but occasionally, they will be found in the center and sometimes even at the end!

Ane test of whether a word or phrase is a determination indicator is if information technology'southward a synonym of "therefore." So, if a passage makes sense when you substitute "therefore" for a give-and-take or phrase, then that give-and-take or phrase is probably a conclusion indicator. Of the indicators we've seen so far, "thus," "so," and "hence" are as well conclusion indicators, as can be verified in any reliable dictionary. The post-obit is a partial list of common determination indicators in English:

Alarm: This listing of indicators is not complete. An exhaustive listing of English indicators doesn't exist because it's always possible to put together new phrases that serve the purpose.

Examples: Each of the post-obit passages contains an argument. Run across if you tin notice a conclusion indicator and determine its conclusion.

• "No man volition take counsel, just every human will accept money; therefore money is better than counsel." (Source: Jonathan Swift)

"Therefore" indicates that the conclusion is: Money is improve than counsel. Sometimes an entire argument is expressed in a single sentence, equally here.

• "Books are not listed in the index, nor are any references to other books or articles that appear in books. Thus, if yous write books … you are automatically excluded from the alphabetize." (Source: Martin Anderson, Impostors in the Temple [1992], p.106)

The indicator word is "thus," and the conclusion is the judgement that it begins.

• "[G]ost species retain sexual reproduction despite its seeming inefficiency, information technology follows that information technology must provide advantages great enough to be worth the enormous toll." (Source: New York Times, iii/25/1986)

"It follows that" is a conclusion indicator. The conclusion is that sexual reproduction provides advantages great plenty to be worth its enormous cost.

In tomorrow'due south lesson, y'all'll learn how to place premises with the use of premise indicators.

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Recommended book

Everything'due south an Argument with Readings past Andrea A. Lunsford,‎ John J. Ruszkiewicz,‎ Keith Walters

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