Section 1.1 reading - Arguments, Premises, and Conclusions

logic

the organized body of knowledge, or science, that evaluates arguments

argument

a group of statements, one or more of which (premises) are claimed to provide support for, or reasons to believe, one of the others (conclusion)

statement

a sentence that is either true or false

premises

the statements that set forth the reasons or evidence

conclusion

the statement that the evidence is claimed to support or imply

inference

the reasoning process expressed by an argument

proposition

the meaning or information content of a statement

credited as "the father of logic"

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E.)

syllogistic logic

a kind of logic in which the fundamental elements are terms, and arguments are evaluated as good or bad depending on how the terms are arranged in the argument.

modal logic

a kind of logic that involves such concepts as possibility, necessity, belief, and doubt.

Peter Abelard (1079-1142)

the first major logician of the Middle Ages