Constructing Valid Arguments-The total combined word count for your post for this discussion should be at least 200 words and no more than 400.
Week 2, Prompt #2: Fill in the Missing Premises
We have learned this week about deductive reasoning, including what it takes for an argument to be valid. This discussion allows us to get more practice with the concept through making arguments valid. You will see a list of arguments here. These arguments are not presented in standard form, and each is missing a premise that would be necessary to make it valid. Your tasks will be to put the argument into standard form and add the missing premise that would validly link the premises to the conclusion.
Prepare: To prepare to respond to this prompt, reread the section from Chapter 2 of our book titled “Extracting Arguments in Standard form,” all required portions of Chapters 3 and 4, as well as the guidance and required media for this week. Further assistance in the filling missing premises can be gained from the document How to Construct a Valid Main Argument and the video Constructing Valid Arguments.
Reflect: Look at the list of argument options below. Choose an argument that has not yet been chosen by any of your classmates. Think through the reasoning and determine what premise is (or premises are) missing that would be needed to make the argument valid. You might also consider challenging yourself by choosing from the more difficult examples in the list (at the bottom).
Choose from the following list of argument options.
1. Flipper is a dolphin, so Flipper is a mammal.
2. Football is dumb because it is a waste of time.
3. If he loved you, then he would have shown up on time with flowers. He must not love you.
4. All mammals bear live young. So dragons are not mammals.
5. Abortion kills human beings. Therefore, abortion is wrong.
6. He broke the record for rushing yards int he game on that last play. Therefore, he holds the record.
7. He won the election. So he will be the next governor.
8. He won’t go to the wedding since he doesn’t like mush stuff and weddings are mushy.
9. I can’t go to the movie with you. I have a test tomorrow and I have to study.
10. Mike loves pickles. Pickles come from cucumbers. Therefore, Mike loves cucumbers.
11. You shouldn’t go out with that guy. He rides a motorcycle and goes to bars.
12. Capital punishment is wrong because it is killing and it doesn’t save anyone’s life.
13. You shouldn’t use drugs because they are addictive and can ruin people’s lives.
14. To fix your car you will need money. However, to have money you have to have a job. It appears that you will need to get a job.
15. To go to the movie you have to have a ticket. To buy a ticket you must pay money. Thus, to go to the movie you must pay money.
16. If you don’t do your chores then you can’t have any dessert. You really like dessert, so you will certainly do your chores.
17. You will get an A if you study hard and always come to class. You came to class every time and studied. You are bound to get an A.
18. Julie is allergic to gluten. So she won’t be having any bread.
19. Only women can have babies, so women are more important to the survival of the species.
20. If I wear that cologne then women will love me. I bout that cologne, so women are going to love me.
21. I can’t go to the party because there will be alcohol there, and I am a Mormon.
22. You shouldn’t force me to wear a seat belt because that would violate my rights.
23. In order to buy a car you will need money. But to have money you need to get a job. But to go to a job you will need to be able to get to work. So you will not be able to buy a car.
24. Capital punishment kills a human being. It is wrong to kill a human being except in self-defense. So capital punishment is wrong.
25. You shouldn’t tell someone to do something unless you would be willing to do it yourself. You’ve never gone to war. So you shouldn’t vote for others to go to war.
Write: In your original post, be sure to include the entire original argument, in standard form, with your own added premise (or premises) in bold. After you have presented the argument, include a description of how the conclusion logically follows from the premises. Include also a reflection on whether it seems that the missing premise(s) is likely to be true (in the context). Would there be any way to fix the argument so that it is valid and has all true premises?
Answer Preview-Constructing Valid Arguments
