Thursday, January 12, 2012
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Argument vs Explanation
Most people want to strangle philosophers after a while, ask my wife. They tend to ask questions that most people ask themselves but never know the answer too. They are concerned with the way in which beliefs we have about the world are or are not supported by rational argument.
Argument
What is an argument? Most people think it is a contest or battle between two or more people (or yourself if you have multiple personalities) who disagree about a topic. Generally an argument in this sense involves one or more of the following: shouting, name calling, pushing and maybe the police, but it probably does not include reasoning.
Great thinkers and philosophers use the term argument in a precise and narrow meaning. They define an argument as the most basic unit of reasoning, a sort of Atom, if you will. An argument is an inference from a starting point, this is called the premise upon which you build your argument, to an end point. The end point is called the conclusion and in a truth claim it is the logical termination of all your premises.
Argument vs. Explanation.
One might think that an Argument and an Explanation is the same thing, but in fact they are quite different. An argument attempts to demonstrate that something is true. An explanation tries to show how something is true. For example on shows such as CSI the investigators look for an explanation of why the person died, such as the gunshot to the head. An argument would undertake to demonstrate that the person is actually dead. ‘Since the person has no brain activity or pulse or other vital signs we can conclude that they are in fact deceased. Another argument could be that it was the knife in the chest that actually killed the victim or any other possible cause.
Closing
So next time someone tries to argue with you really make them mad and tell them that they are not actually arguing because they are not using logic and reason and therefore they are just being emotional and irrational and need to cool off.
Argument
What is an argument? Most people think it is a contest or battle between two or more people (or yourself if you have multiple personalities) who disagree about a topic. Generally an argument in this sense involves one or more of the following: shouting, name calling, pushing and maybe the police, but it probably does not include reasoning.
Great thinkers and philosophers use the term argument in a precise and narrow meaning. They define an argument as the most basic unit of reasoning, a sort of Atom, if you will. An argument is an inference from a starting point, this is called the premise upon which you build your argument, to an end point. The end point is called the conclusion and in a truth claim it is the logical termination of all your premises.
Argument vs. Explanation.
One might think that an Argument and an Explanation is the same thing, but in fact they are quite different. An argument attempts to demonstrate that something is true. An explanation tries to show how something is true. For example on shows such as CSI the investigators look for an explanation of why the person died, such as the gunshot to the head. An argument would undertake to demonstrate that the person is actually dead. ‘Since the person has no brain activity or pulse or other vital signs we can conclude that they are in fact deceased. Another argument could be that it was the knife in the chest that actually killed the victim or any other possible cause.
Closing
So next time someone tries to argue with you really make them mad and tell them that they are not actually arguing because they are not using logic and reason and therefore they are just being emotional and irrational and need to cool off.
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