Exploring the Fundamentals: What Is Informal Logic?

Exploring the Fundamentals: What Is Informal Logic?

Do you ever find yourself in an argument where you can’t seem to get through to the other person? They seem to be making invalid claims, but you don’t quite know how to articulate why? This is where informal logic can come in handy.

Informal logic is the field of philosophy that deals with arguments outside of formal mathematical or logical systems. It’s concerned with “everyday” reasoning and argumentation, and teaches us how to recognize and construct good arguments. If you’re interested in the basics of informal logic, keep reading!

Reasoning Basics

Before we can dive into arguments, we need to understand the basics of reasoning. Reasoning is the process of making inferences or conclusions from evidence or premises. There are two main types of reasoning: deductive and inductive.

Deductive reasoning is a type of reasoning where the conclusion follows logically from the premises. If the premises are true, the conclusion must also be true. For example, if “all cats are animals” and “Mittens is a cat”, then we can conclude that “Mittens is an animal.”

Inductive reasoning, on the other hand, is where the conclusion is based on probability. Inductive reasoning often relies on examples or observations to draw a conclusion. For example, if we observe that every crow we’ve seen is black, we might conclude that “all crows are black,” even though it’s possible that somewhere out there, there’s a non-black crow we just haven’t seen yet.

What Makes an Argument Good?

Now that we know the basics of reasoning, we can move into arguments. An argument is a set of premises that lead to a conclusion. When we evaluate an argument, we’re trying to determine if the conclusion follows logically from the premises, and if the premises themselves are believable.

An argument is considered good if the premises are true, and the conclusion follows logically from them. However, even if an argument is good, the conclusion may still be false if the premises are false. It’s important to remember that an argument being good doesn’t necessarily mean that the conclusion is true.

There are a few key elements that make up a good argument. Firstly, the premises should be relevant to the conclusion. If they aren’t, then the argument is invalid. Secondly, the premises should be believable. If the premises aren’t believable, then the argument is unsound. Additionally, an argument should be stated clearly and free of ambiguity.

Recognizing Logical Fallacies

Logical fallacies are mistakes in reasoning that can make an argument unsound or invalid. There are many different types of logical fallacies, but we’ll explore a few common ones.

The ad hominem fallacy is when someone attacks the person making an argument, rather than the argument itself. For example, if someone says “I don’t believe John’s argument about climate change because he’s not a scientist”, they’re committing the ad hominem fallacy.

The appeal to authority fallacy is when someone accepts a claim as true simply because an authority figure says it’s true. For example, if someone says “I trust Dr. Smith when she says that vaccines are safe, so I don’t need to research it myself”, they’re committing the appeal to authority fallacy.

The straw man fallacy is when someone misrepresents their opponent’s argument in order to make it easier to attack. For example, if someone says “I don’t agree with John’s argument that we should reduce carbon emissions. He just wants to destroy the economy”, they’re committing the straw man fallacy.

Conclusion

In conclusion, informal logic is the field of philosophy that helps us recognize and construct good arguments in everyday reasoning. We’ve explored the basics of reasoning, what makes an argument good, and some common logical fallacies. By understanding these concepts, we can more effectively communicate and reason with others.