At first glance strong and valid arguments appear to be almost identical to each other. As we take a look closer there are key differences in both these types of arguments. A valid argument is one which the premise can not be true when the conclusion is false. An example is that all the books I own are red. So my communications book is red. This argument would be bad if my premise was not true. If I had owned all blue books instead of red, my communications book is blue and the argument would be false.
A strong argument is one that has a possibility of the premise being true and the conclusion false. An example would be that for the upcoming Olympic games, team Canada’s hockey team has some of the best players in the world. The team with the best players will win the gold medal. Team Canada will win the gold medal in hockey. This statement is a strong argument because the premises are true. Even though Team Canada has an all star roster, it doesn’t mean that they will win the gold medal. There are other teams like team Russia that also has an all star roster and there are many factors such as team chemistry when determining in who will win the gold medal.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I really like how you used the Olympics as an example of a Valid and Strong argument. This is a topic that we all can relate too and I think it helps us understand the concept even more. I also liked how you explained why your argument would be false in the example about our red comm book. I got a little bit of a better grasp on the concept after reading your post.
ReplyDeleteSince the Winter Olympics are coming up, i really like the idea of you using the Olympics as an example. You were really specific how you described a good premise. After reading this and after getting my own interpretation from the article, this really help me understand the difference between a valid and strong argument better. Keep up the good work. Nice name btw
ReplyDelete