Assignment: Strategies For Decision Making
Constructing Deductive and Inductive Arguments
Arguments consist of premises and conclusions. Premises are structured so as to lend support to conclusions. The kind of support that a premise lends to a conclusion allows us to distinguish between deductive and inductive arguments. You will be constructing both kinds of arguments.
1. In three premises each, construct one example of each following deductive argument form:
· Modus ponens
· Modus tollens
· Hypothetical syllogism
· Disjunctive syllogism
Make sure your arguments are deductively valid and that your examples are your own. Here are two examples of the general format that your arguments should take:
Modus ponens:
1. If it is raining, then it is pouring.
2. It is raining.
3. Therefore, it is pouring.
Modus tollens:
1. If Jack went to the grocery store, then he bought cookies.
2. Jack did not buy cookies.
3. Therefore, Jack did not go to the grocery store.
2. After you construct the preceding deductive argument forms, construct a three premise syllogism. For example:
1. All men are mortal.
2. Socrates is a man.
3. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.
3. After you construct a three premise syllogism, construct one of each of the following inductive argument patterns:
· Induction by enumeration
· Reasoning by analogy
· Statistical induction
· Higher-level induction
Your examples of inductive argument patterns should not be expressed in premise form. Rather, they should be informally expressed in writing. You should have one paragraph for each pattern. Be as detailed as possible.
Finally, remember to label your arguments. This makes it easier for them to be graded. Include your name, course section, and the date at the top of your assignment document.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.