Question

Philosophy

Define and discuss how consistency, validity, and soundness, are applied to the construction of arguments. How could you apply these principles in your own academic writing? The response must be 200 words

Answer 1

• A deductive argument is said to be valid if and only if it takes a form that makes it impossible for the premises to be true and the conclusion nevertheless to be false. Otherwise, a deductive argument is said to be invalid.
• For deductive arguments, you answer “yes” to the question “Do the premises provide enough logical support for the conclusion?” if the argument is valid, and you answer “no” if otherwise.
  A deductive argument is sound if and only if it is both valid, and all of its premises are actually true. Otherwise, a deductive argument is unsound.
• In effect, an argument is valid if the truth of the premises logically guarantees the truth of the conclusion. The following argument is valid, because it is impossible for the premises to be true and the conclusion nevertheless to be false:
• Elizabeth owns either a Honda or a Saturn.
• Elizabeth does not own a Honda.
• Therefore, Elizabeth owns a Saturn.
• When we construct our arguments, we must aim to construct one that is not only valid, but sound. A sound argument is one that is not only valid, but begins with premises that are actually true. The example given about toasters is valid, but not sound. However, the following argument is both valid and sound:
• In some states, no felons are eligible voters, that is, eligible to vote.
• In those states, some professional athletes are felons.
• Therefore, in some states, some professional athletes are not eligible voters.
• Consistency means ensuring that all parts of the line of reasoning contribute to the conclusion. Inconsistencies make an argument hard to follow.Logical consistency: we need to check whether the reasons given by the author do indeed support the conclusion. In other words, we need to check that the argument adds up.
• A set of sentences is said to be consistent if and only if there is at least one possible situation in which they are all true. So, the following set of sentences is consistent:
• Grass is green.
• It is not the case that the moon is green.
• Most humans have ten fingers.
• Grasshoppers have six legs and dogs have four.
• Earth is a cube.