determine strenth of an argument

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bupbebeo: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 134; Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2010 7:08 am; Thanked: 3 times

by bupbebeo » Mon Apr 26, 2010 3:35 am

How we determine the strength of an argument. We base on relationship between premises and conclusion or between assumption and conclusion?

If we have an argument which is strong based on relationship between premises and conclusion. but its assumption is problematic. I wonder whether we can consider this argument strong?

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Critical Reasoning | Mon Apr 26, 2010 3:35 am

sakali: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 38; Joined: Fri Mar 12, 2010 2:47 pm; Thanked: 3 times

by sakali » Mon Apr 26, 2010 5:43 pm

bupbebeo wrote:How we determine the strength of an argument. We base on relationship between premises and conclusion or between assumption and conclusion?

If we have an argument which is strong based on relationship between premises and conclusion. but its assumption is problematic. I wonder whether we can consider this argument strong?

Hey bupbebeo,
You're right, the strength of an argument is determined by the premises, assumptions and Conclusion and if they all make sense together.

I found this article that explains it much better than I do. (section 1.2)

The strength of an argument is determined by the degree of logical
strength that it possesses.

logical strength: An argument has logical strength when its premises, if true, actually provide
support for its conclusion.

Notice that the (logical) strength of an argument does not depend on the truth of the premises.
An argument is (logically) strong if when we suppose the premises are true, then the conclusion
follows (or is made more reasonable). Thus, logical strength is a structural characteristic of an
argument.

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Testluv: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 1302; Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 2:13 pmFollowed by: 164 members; Location: Toronto; Thanked: 539 times; GMAT Score:800

by Testluv » Mon Apr 26, 2010 9:25 pm

bupbebeo wrote:How we determine the strength of an argument. We base on relationship between premises and conclusion or between assumption and conclusion?

If we have an argument which is strong based on relationship between premises and conclusion. but its assumption is problematic. I wonder whether we can consider this argument strong?

We can strengthen an argument by backing up the assumption. For example, if the assumption is "there are no other explanations", an answer choice that rules out an alternative explanation strengthens.

We can also strengthen an argument by finding an answer choice that makes the conclusion more likely to come to true.

In assumption, strengthen, and weaken question types, we should always avoid answer choices that directly restate or directly contradict the premises.

Kaplan Teacher in Toronto

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