Philosophy 1145: Chapter 4 Strong Arguments

Weak Argument

an argument that is not strong because it is ill-formed, has an unreasonable premise, or is defeated.

Inductively Strong Argument

a cogent argument with reasonable premises that is not defeated by one's background evidence.

Defeated Argument

a cogent argument with reasonable premises whose conclusion is unreasonable for a person by the person's background evidence. whether an argument is defeated for a person depends on that person's evidence

Deductively Strong Argument

a valid argument with premises that are reasonable to believe. The deductive Strength of an argument can vary from person to person

Strong Argument

a well-formed argument whose premises are reasonable and, in the case of cogent arguments, which is not defeated by one's background knowledge