SECTION 1: CRITICAL THINKING D265
WGU
Whatwiswmeantwbywvalidityworwstrengthwofwanwargument?w-wans-
✔✔Generally,wStrongwArgumentswarewoneswthatwarewconvincing.wAndwanwargumentwis
wvalidwifwthewpremises(ifwtrue)wprovidewproofwofwthewconclusion.
Whatwarewthewdifferentwtypeswofwinferences?w-wans-✔✔-wDeduction
-wInduction
-Abduction
Inferencew-wans-✔✔Awconclusionwonewcanwdrawwfromwthewpresentedwdetails.
deductionw-wans-✔✔formingwawgeneralwconclusionwbasedwonwspecificwobservations
Inductionw-wans-✔✔formingwawspecificwconclusionwbasedwonwgeneralwpremise.
Abductionwreasoningw-wans-✔✔ruleswoutwexplanationswuntilwmostwplausiblewremains
truthw-wans-✔✔Awpropositionwthatwaccuratelywrepresentswreality.
validityw-wans-
✔✔Inwawgoodwdeductivewargumentwstructure,wwhenwtruewpremiseswmakewthewconclusi
onwnecessarilywtrue.
invalidityw-wans-
✔✔Oneworwtwowofwthewpremiseswarewfalse,wthuswmakingwthewconclusionwfalse.
Soundnessw-wans-
✔✔Thewdeductivewargumentwiswvalid,wandwallwpremiseswarewtruewpremises.
Unsoundnessw-wans-✔✔Whenwthewargumentwiswinvalidworwthewpremiseswarewfalse.
Howwiswtruthwconnectedwtowpropositions?w-wans-
✔✔Thewrelationshipwthatwholdswbetweenwawpropositionwandwitswcorrespondingwfact.wIf
wawpropositionwiswtrue,wthenwthewconclusionwiswtrue,wbutwifwit'swfalsewthenwit'swfalse.
, validwargumentwformw-wans-
✔✔anwargumentwformwinwwhichweverywsubstitutionwinstancewiswawvalidw(true)wargume
nt
invalidwargumentwformw-wans-
✔✔anwargumentwformwthatwhaswsomewinvalidw(false)wsubstitutionwinstances
Differentiatewbetweenwtruth,wstrength,wandwcogency.w-wans-✔✔-
wAwstrongwargumentwcanwhavewawfalsewconclusionwevenwifwitwstartswwithwtruewpremise
sw(strongwargumentswonlywmakewthewconclusionwprobable,wnotwcertain).
-
wcogentwargumentwmustwhavewtruewpremises.wCogencywiswstrengthwpluswtruewpremise
s.w
Cogency:wInwawstrongwinductivewargument,wallwpremiseswarewtrue.
AllwTruewPremisesw+wStrongwInductivewSupportw=wCogencywArgument
StrengthwofwanwArgumentw-wans-
✔✔Inwthewinductivewargument,wtruewpremiseswmakewthewconclusionwprobablywtrue.w(b
utwnotwnecessarilywawguarantee,wbutwthewpremiseswarewsupportive)
Cogencyw-wans-✔✔Inwawstrongwinductivewargument,wallwpremiseswarewtrue.
Fallacyw-wans-✔✔awtypewofwbadwargument.
FormalwFallacyw-wans-
✔✔awlogicalwerrorwthatwoccurswinwthewformworwstructurewofwanwargument;witwiswrestrict
edwtowdeductivewarguments
informalwfallacyw-wans-
✔✔awmistakewinwreasoningwthatwoccurswinwordinarywlanguagewandwiswdifferentwfromwa
nwerrorwinwthewformworwstructurewofwarguments
ThewFallacywFallacyw-wans-
✔✔Youwpresumedwthatwbecausewawclaimwhaswbeenwpoorlywargued,worwawfallacywhasw
beenwmade,wthatwthewclaimwitselfwmustwbewwrong.
thewfallacywfallacywexamplew-wans-
✔✔RecognizingwthatwAmandawhadwcommittedwawfallacywinwarguingwthatwwewshouldwe
atwhealthywfoodwbecausewawnutritionistwsaidwitwwaswpopular,wAlysewsaidwwewshouldwth
ereforeweatwbaconwdoublewcheeseburgersweverywday.
typeswofwinformalwfallaciesw-wans-✔✔-wAdwHominem
-wAppealwtowIgnorance
-wBeggingwthewQuestion
-wConfusionwofwNecessarywwithwawSufficientwCondition
-wEquivocation
WGU
Whatwiswmeantwbywvalidityworwstrengthwofwanwargument?w-wans-
✔✔Generally,wStrongwArgumentswarewoneswthatwarewconvincing.wAndwanwargumentwis
wvalidwifwthewpremises(ifwtrue)wprovidewproofwofwthewconclusion.
Whatwarewthewdifferentwtypeswofwinferences?w-wans-✔✔-wDeduction
-wInduction
-Abduction
Inferencew-wans-✔✔Awconclusionwonewcanwdrawwfromwthewpresentedwdetails.
deductionw-wans-✔✔formingwawgeneralwconclusionwbasedwonwspecificwobservations
Inductionw-wans-✔✔formingwawspecificwconclusionwbasedwonwgeneralwpremise.
Abductionwreasoningw-wans-✔✔ruleswoutwexplanationswuntilwmostwplausiblewremains
truthw-wans-✔✔Awpropositionwthatwaccuratelywrepresentswreality.
validityw-wans-
✔✔Inwawgoodwdeductivewargumentwstructure,wwhenwtruewpremiseswmakewthewconclusi
onwnecessarilywtrue.
invalidityw-wans-
✔✔Oneworwtwowofwthewpremiseswarewfalse,wthuswmakingwthewconclusionwfalse.
Soundnessw-wans-
✔✔Thewdeductivewargumentwiswvalid,wandwallwpremiseswarewtruewpremises.
Unsoundnessw-wans-✔✔Whenwthewargumentwiswinvalidworwthewpremiseswarewfalse.
Howwiswtruthwconnectedwtowpropositions?w-wans-
✔✔Thewrelationshipwthatwholdswbetweenwawpropositionwandwitswcorrespondingwfact.wIf
wawpropositionwiswtrue,wthenwthewconclusionwiswtrue,wbutwifwit'swfalsewthenwit'swfalse.
, validwargumentwformw-wans-
✔✔anwargumentwformwinwwhichweverywsubstitutionwinstancewiswawvalidw(true)wargume
nt
invalidwargumentwformw-wans-
✔✔anwargumentwformwthatwhaswsomewinvalidw(false)wsubstitutionwinstances
Differentiatewbetweenwtruth,wstrength,wandwcogency.w-wans-✔✔-
wAwstrongwargumentwcanwhavewawfalsewconclusionwevenwifwitwstartswwithwtruewpremise
sw(strongwargumentswonlywmakewthewconclusionwprobable,wnotwcertain).
-
wcogentwargumentwmustwhavewtruewpremises.wCogencywiswstrengthwpluswtruewpremise
s.w
Cogency:wInwawstrongwinductivewargument,wallwpremiseswarewtrue.
AllwTruewPremisesw+wStrongwInductivewSupportw=wCogencywArgument
StrengthwofwanwArgumentw-wans-
✔✔Inwthewinductivewargument,wtruewpremiseswmakewthewconclusionwprobablywtrue.w(b
utwnotwnecessarilywawguarantee,wbutwthewpremiseswarewsupportive)
Cogencyw-wans-✔✔Inwawstrongwinductivewargument,wallwpremiseswarewtrue.
Fallacyw-wans-✔✔awtypewofwbadwargument.
FormalwFallacyw-wans-
✔✔awlogicalwerrorwthatwoccurswinwthewformworwstructurewofwanwargument;witwiswrestrict
edwtowdeductivewarguments
informalwfallacyw-wans-
✔✔awmistakewinwreasoningwthatwoccurswinwordinarywlanguagewandwiswdifferentwfromwa
nwerrorwinwthewformworwstructurewofwarguments
ThewFallacywFallacyw-wans-
✔✔Youwpresumedwthatwbecausewawclaimwhaswbeenwpoorlywargued,worwawfallacywhasw
beenwmade,wthatwthewclaimwitselfwmustwbewwrong.
thewfallacywfallacywexamplew-wans-
✔✔RecognizingwthatwAmandawhadwcommittedwawfallacywinwarguingwthatwwewshouldwe
atwhealthywfoodwbecausewawnutritionistwsaidwitwwaswpopular,wAlysewsaidwwewshouldwth
ereforeweatwbaconwdoublewcheeseburgersweverywday.
typeswofwinformalwfallaciesw-wans-✔✔-wAdwHominem
-wAppealwtowIgnorance
-wBeggingwthewQuestion
-wConfusionwofwNecessarywwithwawSufficientwCondition
-wEquivocation
