Guide to Critical Thinking

Revisiting Arguments in Logic
Suppose you and your friend watch a political debate, and she tells you that she thought one 
of the candidates gave a good argument about taxes. You respond that you thought the can-
didate’s argument was not good. Have you disagreed with each other? You might think that 
you had, but you may just be speaking past each other, using the term argument in different 
senses. Your friend may mean that she found the argument persuasive, while you mean that 
the argument did not establish that the candidate’s position was true. It may turn out that you 
both agree on these points. Perhaps the candidate gave a rousing call to action regarding tax 
reform but did not spend much time spelling out the details of his position or how it would 
work to solve any problems. In this sort of case, the candidate may have given a good argu-
ment in the rhetorical sense but a bad argument in the logical sense.
Moral of the Story: Persuasion Versus Demonstration
Purely persuasive arguments are undoubtedly easier to advance, which makes them the per-
fect tool for manipulation and deceit. However, only arguments that demonstrate with logic 
serve the end of pursuing truth; thus, they are the preferable ones to master.
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Section 1.5 
The Importance of Language in Logic
To summarize:
• In contrast to ordinary arguments, logical arguments do not involve an exchange of 
any kind.
• In contrast to ordinary arguments and rhetorical arguments, logical arguments are 
not driven by emotions. In logic, only the reasons provided in defense of the conclu-
sion make up the force of the argument.
• In contrast to rhetorical arguments, logical arguments are not primarily attempts to 
persuade, because there is no attempt to appeal to emotions. Rather, logical argu-
ments attempt only to demonstrate with reasons. Of course, good logical arguments 
may indeed be persuasive, but persuasion is not the primary goal.
The goal of an argument in logic is to demonstrate that a position is likely to be true.
So before you go on to have a quarrel with your friend, make sure you are both using the word 
in the same way. Only then can you examine which sense of argument is the most crucial to 
the problem raised. Should we vote for a candidate who can get us excited about important 
issues but does not tell us how he or she proposes to solve them? Or shall we vote for a can-
didate who may not get us very excited but who clearly outlines how he or she is planning to 
solve the nation’s problems?
In the rest of this book, you should read the word argument in the logical sense and no other. 
If the word is ever used in other ways, the meaning will be clearly indicated. Furthermore, 
outside of discussions of logic, you must clarify how the word is being used.