Argument Ninja Dojo/(1) Video Library > 2. Principles of Argument Analysis: What is a Good Argument?

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(1) Video Library > 2. Principles of Argument Analysis: What is a Good Argument?

What's the difference between a good argument and a bad argument? Learn the foundational principles of logic and argument analysis. 

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Introduction

The central question of a theory of ARGUMENTATION is how to distinguish GOOD arguments from BAD arguments.

When framed like this, argumentation is a normative discipline — it tells us how we OUGHT to reason, what "good reasoning" is supposed to look like.

It's important to distinguish this normative question from the descriptive question of what makes arguments persuasive.

An argument can be persuasive but loaded with fallacies. And an argument can be logically compelling with plausible premises and still fail to persuade an audience.

The videos in this course are some of the oldest, dating back to when I was teaching critical thinking courses in a philosophy department.

The focus here is almost entirely the normative question. I started thinking more deeply and critically about the descriptive question in later years.

But the normative question is absolutely central for critical thinking. The concepts introduced here provide a vocabulary for talking and thinking about good versus bad reasons. Think of it as an essential step in developing argument literacy

Issues of persuasion do arise, of course. They show up especially in the discussion around the difference between "truth" and "plausibility", and in the discussion of the criteria for an argument to be "strong". 

But the deeper question of what makes an audience adopt a "pro" or "con" attitude toward an argument is something that psychologists have studied far more than philosophers. 

Contents

Part 1: What is a Good Argument?

Introduction

What is an Argument?

What is an Argument?
What is a Claim?
What is a Good Argument (I)?
Identifying Premises and Conclusions
Preview
What is an Argument?: Quiz

What is a Good Argument?

The Truth Condition
Preview
The Logic Condition
Valid versus Invalid Arguments
Strong versus Weak Arguments
Preview
What is a Good Argument (II)?

Deductive and Inductive Arguments

Deductive Arguments and Valid Reasoning
Inductive Arguments and Strong Reasoning
Inductive Arguments and Scientific Reasoning
Preview

Part 2: All the Formal Logic You Need to Know For Critical Thinking

Introduction

What is Propositional Logic?

Introduction: What is Propositional Logic?

Compound Claims

Conjunctions (A and B)
Disjunctions (A or B)
Conditionals (If A then B)
Preview

How to Think About the Logical Connectives in Propositional Logic

Introduction to the Content in This Section
How to Think About the Logical Connectives in Propositional Logic
The Difference Between Natural Languages and Formal Languages
Preview
Issues With Translating “AND” and “OR”
Issues With Translating Conditionals: “If A then B”

Contradiction and Consistency

Contradictories (not-A)
Contradictories vs Contraries
Contradictions (A and not-A)
Preview
Consistency and Inconsistency

Contradictories of Compound Claims

not-(not-A)
not-(A and B)
not-(A or B)
Preview
not-(If A then B)

Ways of Saying “IF A THEN B”

A if B
A only if B
A if and only if B
A unless B
The Contrapositive: If not-B then not-A
Preview
(not-A) or B
Necessary and Sufficient

Categorical Claims and Their Contradictories

Categorical versus Propositional Logic
Preview
All A are B
Only A are B
Some A are B
The Square of Opposition

What I Wish I Knew About Logic Before Taking a Symbolic Logic Class

What I Wish I Knew About Logic Before Taking a Logic Class
Why Do Linguistics Majors Have to Study Logic?
Natural Language Has a Logical Structure
Preview
Formal Logic was Developed to Understand the Nature of Deductive Proof, Not Language
Different Logical Systems Can Be Used to Model Different Fragments of Natural Language
Aristotelian Logic: The Logic of Categories
Propositional Logic: The Logic of Statements
There Are Many Logics
Predicate Logic: The Logic of Quantifiers and Variables
Wrapping Up

Part 3: Formal Fallacies: Errors in Reasoning Due to Bad Logic

Introduction: What Are Formal Fallacies?

Argument Forms Using Disjunctions (A or B)

Valid Argument Forms Using OR
Invalid Argument Forms Using OR
Preview

Argument Forms Using Conditionals (If A then B)

Modus Ponens
Modus Tollens
Preview
Hypothetical Syllogism
Affirming the Consequent
Preview
Denying the Antecedent

Argument Forms Using Generalizations

Valid and Invalid Argument Forms Using ALL
Valid and Invalid Argument Forms Using SOME

Part 4: Informal Fallacies: A Guided Tour

Introduction: What is an Informal Fallacy?

Introduction

What is a Fallacy?
Categorizing Fallacies: Pros and Cons
Preview
The Rules of Rational Argumentation

Some Important Content Fallacies

Ad Hominem (Abusive)
Preview
Ad Hominem (Guilt by Association)
Appeal to Hypocrisy (tu quoque)
Appeal to Popular Belief (or Practice)
Appeal to Authority
False Dilemma
Slippery Slope
Preview

Fallacies That Violate the Rules of Rational Argumentation

Straw Man
Red Herring
Preview
Begging the Question (circular reasoning)
Begging the Question (broader sense)