What is an argument? What is the difference between a deductive and an inductive argument? When is an argument valid?
An argument refers to set of statements consisting of premises that lead to deductions. Arguments are often presented in the form statements aimed at reading a particular conclusion. The premises of the arguments tend to act as a guide towards making a conclusion about the argument. A deductive argument is a proposition by the arguer meant to assert the validity of the conclusion. The intent is to provide the guarantee that a particular assertion is true. Inductive argument refers to the arguments in which the truth asserted by the premises does not guarantee the truth of conclusions. However, they offer strong possibilities of truth.
What is a fallacy? Give an example and explain what makes it a fallacy.
The fallacy often refers to an error that occurs in reasoning. Statements and propositions are often made fallacious either intentionally or unintentionally. The former might be useful when attempting to deceive while the latter is often unintended. Fallacies are often used to hide the truth from the people. The proposition is considered to be fallacious if both its content and form are false. In the formal fallacies, error to a proposition occurs only due to logical form.
For instance; many black teens commit crimes. Jones is a black teen; therefore, he’s a criminal. The fact that several black teens are committing crimes does not make Jones a criminal. He could be an exception.
Formalize the following argument:
“Either the Republicans will win, or the Democrats will win.”
P-Republicans, will win
Q- Democrats will win
S-Democrats and Republicans will win
“If Trump runs as an independent, then the Republicans will not win.”
P-Trump runs as independent
Q-Republicans will not win
S-Trump will not run as independent.
“Trump will run as an independent.”
P-Trump will run as independent
P=S
“Therefore, the Republicans will not win.”
P-Republicans will not win
S-Democrats will win
“Therefore, the Democrats will win.”
P-Republicans will not win
What is enumerative induction? What is the difference between a target population and a sample?
Enumerative induction is a kind of reasoning in which the premises provide support for the conclusion but do not guarantee it. The reasoning will provide the premises that are meant to provide an avenue to the conclusion. Enumerative induction is often concerned with determining the empirical facts of reasoning. For instance, X1=X1, X2=X2; therefore, X1=X2. The conclusion of the argument that all the Xs are equal is a strong induction. Target population forms the total group from where a given population is to be taken so that they take part in the certain investigation. A sample is the exact number of people who have participated in a process of ascertaining a certain truth or in an investigation.
What is the difference between a representative and a biased sample?
A representative is the population sample that has similar characteristics to the rest of the target population. The population selected for an investigation should always possess the same characteristics as the original group from which it was taken. A biased sample is a group used for the investigation but whose characteristics do not reflect that of the target population from where they were taken. The population sample should always be a reflection of the target population. However, under certain circumstances, it might not be true.
What is a necessary condition? What is a sufficient condition? Give examples of each.
A necessary condition often refers to a condition that is a must for a particular goal to be achieved. For instance, a necessary condition for getting B is that the student must submit the paper. If the student fails to submit the paper, they don’t get B. However, if they got B, then they submitted the paper. Sufficient condition refers to a condition that guarantees the achievement of a goal if satisfied. For instance, to get B, a student must get B in all course units. If the student has B in all course units, then they have B.
