1. LogicandEvidence Scientific argument

2. Logic Reasoning –Deductive –Inductive

3. Deductive Reasoning 2+ factual premises followed by 1 necessary conclusion –“Syllogism”: 2 premises, 1 conclusion –Categorical –Conditional –Disjunctive Validity vs. truth Types of arguments:

4. Inductive Reasoning Making a generalization based on several observed facts Inductive fallacies –Sample size too small –Unrepresentative sampling –“Slothful induction”

5. Evidence A valid deductive argument results in a true conclusion only if the premises are true. An inductive argument is only meaningful if reliable particular cases are presented.

6. Scientific argument LogicEvidence

7. Evaluating claims Foundation of core knowledge that is unlikely to change Often, we have to depend on premises that are based on a previous finding(s) Watch for hidden assumptions

8. References / further reading Derry, G.N. 1999. Thinking straight: evidence, reason and critical evaluation. In: What science is and how it works, pp. 89-106. Princeton Univ. Press. Downes, S. 1998. Stephen’s guide to the logical fallacies. http://www.datanation.com/fallacies/index.htm