Philosophers and logicians think a lot about two important ideas: validity and soundness. These ideas are super helpful for judging whether arguments make sense.
Validity is about the structure of an argument. It means that if the starting points (called premises) are true, then the ending point (called the conclusion) has to be true too.
Here’s an example:
If both premises are true, then the conclusion must also be true.
Now, let’s talk about soundness. This is a little more specific. For an argument to be sound, the premises not only have to follow a valid structure, but they also need to be true.
So, if the premises are false, even if the argument is valid, it doesn’t count as sound.
Understanding validity and soundness helps us think more clearly and talk about ideas better.
Philosophers and logicians think a lot about two important ideas: validity and soundness. These ideas are super helpful for judging whether arguments make sense.
Validity is about the structure of an argument. It means that if the starting points (called premises) are true, then the ending point (called the conclusion) has to be true too.
Here’s an example:
If both premises are true, then the conclusion must also be true.
Now, let’s talk about soundness. This is a little more specific. For an argument to be sound, the premises not only have to follow a valid structure, but they also need to be true.
So, if the premises are false, even if the argument is valid, it doesn’t count as sound.
Understanding validity and soundness helps us think more clearly and talk about ideas better.