Discussion Question #2 (Ch3)

2). Discuss Strong versus Valid Arguments in detail. Give an example of each from everyday life.

When considering strong and valid arguments, one must look at the premises of an argument. If the premises of the argument is true and there is no way for the conclusion to be false, then the argument is said to be valid (Epstein, 2006). If the argument is decided to be invalid, it can still be strong. By saying an argument is strong, it needs to be believed that the conclusion may possibly be false, but is very unlikely to be (Epstein, 2006). For example, a valid argument could be, "All of Tiffany & Co.'s sterling silver jewelry is made with real sterling silver. So Diana's Tiffany & Co. earrings are real sterling silver." This argument is valid because there is no way the conclusion could be false because we know all Tiffany & Co. sterling silver jewelry is made with real sterling silver. An example of a strong argument could be, "Any jewelry anyone has ever seen or heard about from Forever 21 is under $5.00. Therefore, I can go to Forever 21 today and get a bracelet for under $5.00." This argument is considered strong, but not valid. The reason for this is because the conclusion could be considered false in some way. For instance, Forever 21 could have just gotten new, more expensive jewelry in. Or, the government could have put a new tax on the factory that makes the Forever 21 jewelry, which would increase the price of the regular $5.00 jewelry. These two reasons make the conclusion have possibilities to be false. However, the reasons are not very likely, which make the argument strong.