Question

The specific form of argumentation may indicate whether an argument should be taken as inductive or deductive.

A. True
B. False

Answer 1

The specific form of argumentation indicates whether an argument is inductive or deductive, with deductive reasoning relying on a valid structure that guarantees the conclusion's truth, given the premises are true. Inductive reasoning, however, provides probable conclusions that aren't guaranteed by the premises. Logical form is essential in identifying the nature of the argument.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement is true. The specific form of argumentation indeed indicates whether an argument is inductive or deductive. Deductive reasoning focuses on the structure of the argument to guarantee the truth of the conclusion, as long as the premises are true. Consider the structure of a disjunctive syllogism, which is a classic example of valid deductive inference:

• X or Y.
• Not Y.
• Therefore, X.

In this form, if the premises (1 and 2) are true, then the conclusion (3) must also be true.

Conversely, inductive reasoning does not have a structure that guarantees the truth of its conclusion but rather provides a probable link between premises and conclusion. Problems like a false dichotomy arise when the content of premises introduces logical errors due to incorrect assumptions about the world, as when it is incorrectly assumed that only two options exist.