The Language of Argument

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C H A P T E R 8 ■ A r g u m e n t s T o a n d F r o m G e n e r a l i z a t i o n s

conclusion that Canadian quarters do not work in American vending

machines. Harold’s inductive reasoning looks like this:

In the past, when I tried to use Canadian quarters in American

vending machines, they did not work.

[ Canadian quarters do not work in American vending machines.

The force of the conclusion is that Canadian quarters never work in American

vending machines.

In evaluating this argument, what questions should we ask? We can start

with a question that we should ask of any argument.

Should We Accept the Premises?

Perhaps Harold has a bad memory, has kept bad records, or is a poor

observer. For some obscure reason, he may even be lying. It is important

to ask this question explicitly, because fairly often the premises, when

challenged, will not stand up to scrutiny.

If we decide that the premises are acceptable (that is, true and justified),

then we can shift our attention to the relationship between the premises and

the conclusion and ask how much support the premises give to the conclusion.

One commonsense question is this: “How many times has Harold tried to use

Canadian quarters in American vending machines?” If the answer is “Once,”

Bob Englehart/Cagle Cartoons, Inc.

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