Hey everyone, welcome back to "What is an Argument." I'm Jake Thompson, and as always, I'm here with Emily Carter. Emily, how's it going?Hi Jake! I'm good, thanks. Excited to dive into this one. So, today we're talking about how arguments really work, right?Yeah, and I gotta say, I used to think an argument was just, like, two people yelling at each other. But that's not really it, is it?No, not quite! I mean, arguments can get heated, but in philosophy or logic, an argument is just giving reasons for thinking some conclusion is true. It's not just a disagreement or a fight.So, if I say, "Pineapple belongs on pizza," and you say, "No, it doesn't," that's just a disagreement, right?Exactly. Unless you start giving reasons, like, "Pineapple adds a sweet contrast to the salty cheese, therefore it improves the flavor," then you're making an argument. It's all about the reasons and the conclusion.Okay, so the reasons and the conclusion—those are what philosophers call propositions, right?Yes! A proposition is basically the meaning behind a sentence. It's the thought or claim being expressed. And, fun fact, different sentences can express the same proposition. Like, "The sky is blue" and "Blue is the color of the sky"—they're saying the same thing, just in different words.Oh, that's cool. So, it's not about the exact words, it's about the idea behind them.Right. And sometimes, one sentence can even express more than one proposition, especially if it's metaphorical. Like, "Jones is on fire tonight!" could mean he's doing really well, not that he's literally burning.I always mess that up in sports commentary. But, uh, you had a story about this, didn't you? Something about a family dinner?Oh, yes! So, at a family dinner, my uncle said, "No one ever listens to me," and my cousin replied, "I heard you just now." They were talking past each other because they weren't clear on what proposition was actually being discussed. Once we clarified—was it about being heard, or about being understood?—the whole conversation shifted. It was kind of amazing how just pinning down the proposition made everything less tense.That's such a classic. I feel like half of my arguments are just misunderstandings like that. So, to sum up, an argument is a connected series of propositions, some supporting, some being supported, and it's not just any old disagreement.Exactly. And that brings us to the next bit—how those propositions connect. There are different types of arguments, mainly deductive and inductive. Do you remember the raven example, Jake?Sort of? Let me try. So, a deductive argument would be like, "All ravens are black. Therefore, if there's a raven on Mt. Rainier, it's black." If the first part is true, the second part has to be true, right?Spot on! In deductive arguments, if the premises are true, the conclusion must be true. It's like a guarantee. But with inductive arguments, it's more about probability. For example, "All the ravens I've seen are black, so the one on Mt. Rainier is probably black." But there's always a chance it's not.Yeah, like, no matter how many black ravens you see, you can't be totally sure the next one won't be, I dunno, purple or something. It's just more likely, not certain.Exactly. Inductive reasoning is about making things more likely, not guaranteeing them. The more evidence you have, the stronger the argument, but it's never absolute.That reminds me of this time in college debate club. We had this whole argument about whether something was certain or just probable, and I totally mixed up deductive and inductive. I kept saying, "It's definitely true," when really, it was just likely. My teammate was not impressed.Oh, I can relate! It's a really common mix-up. But it's important, because knowing whether your argument is deductive or inductive changes how you evaluate it. Like, are you looking for certainty, or just a strong likelihood?So, to recap, deductive arguments try to guarantee the conclusion, and inductive ones just make it more likely. And, uh, don't mix them up in debate club, or you'll never hear the end of it.Right! Now, once you've spotted an argument, the next step is figuring out if it's any good. There are a few things to look for: validity, soundness, and whether it's circular.Okay, so validity is about the structure, right? Like, if the premises are true, the conclusion has to be true. But the premises themselves could be totally wrong?Yes, that's it. For example, "All trout are mammals. All mammals have wings. Therefore, all trout have wings." That's valid, because if those premises were true, the conclusion would follow. But obviously, trout aren't mammals and mammals don't have wings, so it's not sound.So, soundness is when the argument is valid and all the premises are actually true. Like, "All dogs are mammals. All mammals are animals. Therefore, all dogs are animals." That's both valid and sound.Exactly. And then there's circularity, which is when the argument just repeats itself. Like, "Auburn is in Washington. Therefore, Auburn is in Washington." It doesn't really prove anything, it just restates the conclusion.Yeah, that's like when someone says, "I'm right because I'm right." Super helpful.And another thing to watch for is the words people use to signal arguments—like "because," "since," "therefore," "so." They're called warranting connectives. But sometimes they don't actually mean an argument is happening. Like, "She's been in Tibet since last summer"—that's just about time, not a reason.So, if you can swap in another argument word and it still makes sense, it's probably an argument. But if it sounds weird, like "She's been in Tibet because last summer," then it's not.Exactly! And there are classic argument forms that show up everywhere, like Modus Ponens: "If p, then q. p. Therefore, q." Or Modus Tollens: "If p, then q. Not q. Therefore, not p." You see these in movies and TV all the time, even if people don't call them that.Yeah, like, "If the butler did it, there'd be fingerprints. There are no fingerprints. Therefore, the butler didn't do it." That's Modus Tollens, right?That's right! It's everywhere once you start looking for it. So, next time you hear someone making a case, see if you can spot the structure—and whether it's actually a good argument.Alright, I think that's a good place to wrap up for today. Emily, this was super fun. I feel like I actually know what an argument is now, and not just how to win one at Thanksgiving.Same here, Jake. Thanks for the chat! And thanks to everyone listening. We'll be back next time to dig even deeper into the world of arguments. Bye for now!See you next time, everyone!

Episodes

How Arguments Really Work