Criticizing an Argument vs. Criticizing a Conclusion

One can object to (or criticize) an argument by objecting to its soundness without objecting to the conclusion of the argument.

Here’s an argument:

All bearded people are over ten years old.
Lee is over ten years old.
Therefore, Lee is a bearded person.
This is an invalid argument -- and therefore an unsound argument. But in objecting to the argument I am not thereby objecting to the conclusion of the argument. (The conclusion is true and I accept it.)

The form is:

All A are B
c is B
Therefore c is an A.
To see that this is an invalid form, consider the substitution instance:
All multiples of 4 are even.
6 is even.
Therefore, 6 is a multiple of 4.


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Richard Lee, rlee@uark.edu, last modified: 21 January 2003