Example of Argument Form
To demonstrate the important notion of the form of an argument, substitute letters for similar items throughout the sentences in the original argument.
- Original argument
- All humans are mortal.
- Socrates is human.
- Therefore, Socrates is mortal.
- Argument Form
- All H are M.
- S is H.
- Therefore, S is M.
All we have done in the Argument form is to put 'H' for 'human' and 'humans', 'M' for 'mortal', and 'S' for 'Socrates'; what results is the form of the original argument. Moreover, each individual sentence of the Argument form is the sentence form of its respective sentence in the original argument.
Read more about this topic: Logical Form
Famous quotes containing the words argument and/or form:
“Argument is conclusive ... but ... it does not remove doubt, so that the mind may rest in the sure knowledge of the truth, unless it finds it by the method of experiment.... For if any man who never saw fire proved by satisfactory arguments that fire burns ... his hearers mind would never be satisfied, nor would he avoid the fire until he put his hand in it ... that he might learn by experiment what argument taught.”
—Roger Bacon (c. 12141294)
“The opera isnt over till the fat lady sings.”
—Anonymous.
A modern proverb along the lines of dont count your chickens before theyre hatched. This form of words has no precise origin, though both Bartletts Familiar Quotations (16th ed., 1992)