Proving an argument is not valid
The counterexample method is effective at exposing the invalidity of deductive arguments.
- Isolate the argument form in a simple, easy to digest form, like by replacing names with letters.
- Create an analogy, a counterexample that substitutes the original argument, and it is a given that it would also be as invalid as the original argument’s conclusion
- Reduce the new argument in it’s most barebones form by affirming the antecedent, that exposes the fallacy of the original argument.
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Similar ideas to Proving an argument is not valid
The "counterexample method"
While the premises may be true in an argument, the conclusion may or may not be correct, making the argument invalid. Example of an incorrect argument: Some New Yorkers are rude, some of them are artists, therefore some artists are rude.
A counterexample method is...
The argument from dictionary
The argument from a dictionary is a logical fallacy and happens when someone's argument is based, in a problematic way, on the definition of a particular term as it appears in a dictionary. The problem with these arguments:
- Dictionaries are descriptive
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