Creating a valid argument typically requires putting your argument into a particular form.
Creating a valid argument typically requires putting your argument into a particular form. Learning how to follow a form is thus an important part of learning how to create deductively valid arguments. Section 4.5 of our textbook lists a number of valid and invalid forms. This discussion will allow us to practice using those forms.Prepare: To prepare to respond to this question, read the required sections from Chapter 4. Pay special attention to the explanation of Propositional Argument Forms in section 4.5. Then create an argument about your paper topic using one of those forms. Make sure that your argument seems reasonable, especially if you’re choosing an invalid form.Write: To answer the discussion prompt, first present the form you have chosen, using letters as sentence variables as in the textbook. (You can use words rather than symbols if you like.) Next, for each sentence variable, say what sentence that variable will represent in your argument. Then present your argument in standard form by replacing the sentence variables with sentences, and any logical symbols with their English equivalent. Finally, if you have chosen a valid form, explain why you think the argument is sound or unsound. If you have chosen an invalid form, explain why your argument is invalid. The first three steps will look something like this example: (Hint: The ‘&’, ‘v’ and ‘~’ symbols are on your keyboard. For® (if … then), you can use the symbol ‘>’.)P ? QQ ? R? P ? RP is “You get in an accident while driving drunk.”Q is “You are a danger to others”R is “You should have your license revoked.”If you get in an accident while driving drunk, then you are a danger to others.If you are a danger to others, then you should have your license revoked.Therefore, if you get in an accident while driving drunk, then you should have your license revoked.Since this is a valid form, the discussion would center on whether the premises were true or not.Guided Response: Respond substantively to at least three of your classmates’ posts. When responding to a classmate see if you can determine whether they followed the form properly. Explain why you think they did or didn’t. If they chose a valid form, explain why you agree or disagree with them about whether the argument is sound. If they chose an invalid form, comment on their explanation of its invalidity and try to offer suggestions of how the argument might be made valid.