PHIL-P 140 Lecture 1: 10-17 Lecture Notes Part I Day 1
Document Summary
Philosophy often proceeds by offering arguments for various kinds of positions. For our purposes an argument is not a shouting match between two people. Philosophers have something very specific in mind when they speak of arguments. An argument is: an ordered array of statements (either spoken or written) one of which is the conclusion the rest of which are the premises. The premises are offered in order to support the conclusion. In other words, the premises provide us with reasons for accepting the conclusion. Conclusions are often indicated by words like therefore" and thus. ". Premise 2: whenever dan"s office door is ajar, dan is in his office. Philosophers not only offer arguments, they also frequently evaluate arguments. Arguments can go wrong in a number of ways. There are thus two things to keep in mind when evaluating an argument. When we give arguments, the aim is to provide true premises that actually support the intended conclusion.
