→ Argument Form Finder → Start Learning / Download MP3 Flashcards

start learning

Question		Answer
Modus Ponens start learning		p —> q, p: q If I scream, then I shout. I scream. Therefore, I shout.
Modus Tollens start learning		p —> q, ~q: ~p If I sneeze, then I say, "Excuse me." I did not say, "Excuse me." Therefore, I did not sneeze.
Reductio start learning		(1) Assume true what you think is false, (2) try to show something crazy follows from what you assumed, and (3) conclude that what you assumed to be false is actually true. Assume the moon is an optical illusion. If the moon is an optical illusion, then no one can land on the moon. So no one can land on the moon. But that's crazy: Neil Armstrong landed on the moon. Therefore, the moon is not an optical illusion.
What is some general advice for finding the form of an argument? start learning		Read carefully & slowly. Identify which claims are premises & which is the conclusion. Be aware of the word "not;" underline "not" wherever it appears.
How do you identify a Reductio? Give some examples of what to look out for. start learning		Look for words or phrases that give away that it is a Reductio. "But that's crazy." "But that's absurd." "Assume that ..." "Suppose that ..."
How do you identify a Modus Ponens or Modus Tollens? If (God said it), then (it is true). (It is not true). Therefore, (God did not say it). start learning		Replace propositions with sentence-letters. P —> Q, ~Q: ~P

Argument Form Finder