Review on Recognizing Arguments
Identify which of the following (collections of) sentences expresses an argument, and for each that
does, (a) circle the inference indicator, and (b) underline the conclusion. For any (collections of)
sentences that do not express arguments, write “No Argument”.
If… then… statements do not express arguments.
Watch out for words which are sometimes used as inference indicators, and sometimes not (like
“since”, which sometimes indicates an argument, and sometimes indicates passage of time.
A bad argument is still an argument.
The answers are given on page 3.
1) Although it seems to have had an unfortunate effect on the minds of many individuals, most of
whom have not studied logic, the argument that if God is dead then anything is permitted is not
deductively valid.
2) If you believe that you will ever use logic outside the classroom, then you are sadly deluded.
You, my friend, are sadly deluded. Hence you believe that you will use logic outside the
classroom.
3) If it really is true that votes of all U.S. Senators are bought and sold by corporate special
interests, as John McCain alleges, then the U.S. Senate is a totally corrupt institution.
4) If one is a philosopher, one is probably malnourished. So it is also probably true that if I am a
philosopher, then I am malnourished.
5) Drug ads are regulated by the FDA, and what you saw on TV was a drug ad, so if you are
worried about hair loss, you can believe what you saw on TV.
6) David Lewis believed that all possible worlds really exist. This theory is controversial but has
not been refuted. If an argument had been produced that showed it to be incoherent, then
Lewis would have changed his mind about the theory. But now he is dead.
7) If you are a fan of women’s college basketball, then you believe that the women Huskies are
the top-ranked team in the U.S. You believe that the women Huskies are the top ranked team
in the U.S. Hence, you are a fan of women’s college basketball.
8) If you are what you eat, and you eat what you like, then you like what you are.
9) If you study logic assiduously, you will have the capacity to pick out fallacies and other bad
arguments. But you have not yet studied logic assiduously. Hence you do not have the
capacity to pick out fallacies and other bad arguments.
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10) If you believe everything you see on TV and you spend money on what you believe, then you
will spend lots of money.
11) We have had a seven day week since Sumerian times, and the days of the week are named for
the visible heavenly bodies, which were also gods. For example, Saturday is Saturn’s day.
Sunday is the day of the sun; Monday the moon. Thursday is Thor’s day (Jupiter) while Friday
is Freya’s day, also known as Venus, Astarte, Ishtar: the goddess of love. No wonder people
like Fridays!
12) I’ve done well on the WebCT online quizzes and I’ve gone to all the classes, so if I keep going
to class, then I’ll keep doing well on the tests.
13) Interest rates are falling but the dollar remains strong. The strong dollar makes exports
difficult. If export is difficult then jobs must be cut. When jobs are cut the people have time to
meditate.
14) Since the day the AOL-Times Warner merger was announced, the stock of both companies has
fallen, there has been continuing analyst skepticism about the plan, Ted Turner and Jane Fonda
have legally separated, and Jerry Levin has also been looking pretty grim in public.
15) Space must be infinite, since if space were finite then there would have to be some borderline
beyond which space does not exist. But wherever such a border is placed, there must be space
on both sides of it. So space cannot be finite.
16) You use a credit card for purchases but you don’t have enough cash to cover the purchases, and
so you are going to be in bad financial shape due to interest payments.
17) I’ve eaten only pizza and ramen noodles since I came to college two months ago.
18) If John is taller than Bill, and Bill is taller than Harry, then John is taller than Harry, but if John
hates Bill and Bill hates Harry, it doesn’t follow that John hates Harry.
19) Sex outside of marriage is immoral, as it violates the Ten Commandments.
20) If Bradley’s campaign is to survive past New Hampshire, he must have a massive win there,
because if he is to survive past New Hampshire, he must have enough money to handle the
multi-state primaries coming up in March; and if he does not win massively in New Hampshire,
he won’t have enough money.
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Answers:
1) No argument.
2) Conclusion indicator: Hence. Conclusion: “you believe that you will use logic outside of the
classroom.”
3) No argument.
4) Conclusion indicator: So. Conclusion: “it is probably true that if I am a philosopher, then I am
malnourished.”
5) Conclusion indicator: So. Conclusion: “so if you are worried about hair loss, you can believe
what you saw on TV.”
6) No argument.
7) Conclusion indicator: hence. Conclusion: “you are a fan of women’s college basketball.”
8) No argument.
9) Conclusion indicator: Hence. Conclusion: “you do not have the capacity to pick out fallacies
and other bad arguments.”
10) No argument.
11) No argument.
12) Conclusion indicator: so. Conclusion: “if I keep going to class, then I’ll keep doing well on the
tests.
13) No argument.
14) No argument.
15) Inference indicators: since (premiss indicator) and so (conclusion indicator). Conclusion:
“Space must be infinite” and “space cannot be finite”.
16) Conclusion indicator: so. Conclusion: “you are going to be in bad financial shape due to
interest payments.”
17) No argument.
18) No argument.
19) Premiss indicator: as. Conclusion: Sex outside of marriage is immoral.
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20) Premiss indicator: because. Conclusion: “If Bradley’s campaign is to survive past New
Hampshire, he must have a massive win there.”
