GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS 177that establish the acceptability of those premises. A complex structure is built up
from a series of overlapping simple structures. (See chapter 3.)conclusion
In general terms, a claim that is being argued for or explained by the premises. The
term 'conclusion' is only meaningful in relation to 'premise'. A conclusion can also
be a premise to a further conclusion; these overlaps in function (claim as both
premise and conclusion) can be seen in complex structures. Do not confuse with
the more common use of 'conclusion' to mean 'the last part of an essay or presen-
tation'. (See chapter 2.)connotation
Words and statements have a denotative function (they denote or describe some-
thing), but they also carry with them varying connotations or hidden meanings
about the objects and events they denote. Connotations do not spring from a word
on its own but from the interrelations between words, and from the ways in which
words are used and understood by authors and audiences. A text will always contain
many connotations, which spring from the ways that audiences use their existing
knowledge and expectations to interpret the words in the text. Obviously, if you
and your audience share the same background or context, those connotations are
less likely to cause misunderstandings. (See chapter 2.)
consistency
In an analogy, there is always a need to assess the degree of consistency between the
like objects being compared or between the actions or ideas associated with those
objects. Often, errors in analogies stem from assumptions of consistency that are
not sustainable upon further analysis. (See chapter 7.)context
The context in which reasoning takes place involves innumerable factors. They may
include the audience (its knowledge, expectations, beliefs, relationship to the
author of the reasoning), the conventional rules of presentation for particular
knowledge groups, the goals authors are trying to achieve by reasoning, the other
knowledge (assumptions, possible alternative arguments and explanations, and so
on) that may bear upon our reasoning. Compare with audience and assumption.
(See chapter 2.)deduction
Deduction occurs only in those arguments where the premises implicitly outline a
logical relationship that is expressed explicitly in the conclusion and where, if one
accepts all the premises as true, one cannot then deny the conclusion. Essentially,
this form of reasoning is simply a way of moving the key moment of proof from
the final stage of the argument to the point where one is providing arguments in
support of the premises. The opposite of induction. (See chapter 7.)