Logic is defined as the science which studies the formal processes in thinking and reasoning. Lawyers have the job of navigating through the legal system to make valid arguments that are in favor of their clients. In order to be successful, lawyers must come up with a reason or set of reason(s) to persuade a judge, or a jury that an action or idea is right or wrong. These reasons are known as arguments and they require the use of logic so that they are clear and acceptable to a judge or a jury. Therefore, the study of logic is essential to the study of the law. In mathematical logic, the indirect proof assumes that the conclusion of the argument is false and therefore the argument is invalid. After concluding that the argument is invalid, …show more content…
When using deductive reasoning, a lawyer will first develop a broad theory about the case and then attempt to apply it to a specific fact, or person. If this specific instance is proven to be realistic, then the lawyer has proved that their general theory is valid as well. When I learned about it, I realized how closely this theory of deductive reasoning relates to Modus Ponens, a valid argument form that is used in mathematical logic. Within logic, there are two sides to an statement, a left-hand side and a right-hand side. Modus Ponens states that if one premise of an argument is an implication and the other premise is the left-hand side of the implication, then the right hand side of the implication must be true. For …show more content…
Two principles of reasoning are useful to lawyers when constructing arguments or providing support for their arguments; inductive and deductive reasoning. Through careful inspection of these principles, along with the consideration of two theories implemented in mathematical logic, we can conclude that they are very similar. The indirect proof method and the valid argument form of Modus Ponens (in mathematical logic) closely relate to the theories of inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning (used in the field of law). I feel that my knowledge of mathematical logic will help me to form more carefully constructed, valid arguments as a
By providing a base argument and the implications of
The argument posited by Sider (S1) can be seen as an argument by elimination, where the premises if accepted, reject the possibility of S2 and S3. As such, the argument suffers from whether the re...
At the inception of Athenian democracy in the 5th Century, there were no professional prosecutors, or lawyers. Complainants seeking justice brought and argued their case against defendants, who would answer the charges themselves. After the case had been argued, the jury immediately voted and made its decision without the modern equivalent of a deliberation. Thus, the ability to argue, and use rhetoric was an important tool for litigants. Similarly, it was important for jurors to understand rhetorical arguments to effectively decide cases they heard. The application of reason, and the ability to apply logical thought extends beyond the courts and also to the formulation of public policy.
There is nothing inherently wrong with this method. However, it does become a problem when a deductive argument is attempting to bring something into existence. We simply cannot do that, for it goes against the common sense laws of logic. Gaunilo offered us an example famously known as the “Isle of the Blessed” (Peterson 173). In this example, he attempts to use the same deductive form Anselm uses to bring an island into existence. “Because it is better that such a perfect island exists in reality than simply in the mind alone, this Isle of the Blest must necessarily exist” (Pojman 42).
In this argument, if “employees have a duty of loyalty to the companies that employ them” is considered the p and “it is rational for employees to expect companies to recognize and fulfill a duty of loyalty to their employees” will be the q. It continues to follow that q is false as it is not rational for employees to expect companies to recognize and fulfill loyalty to their employees. The logical form ends with not p as “It is false that employees have a duty of loyalty to the companies that employ them”. It is known that this argument is deductively valid but in order to show that the conclusion is also true, it must be true that the argument is deductively sound. An example of a deductively valid argument would be as following: Premise 1) All mammals have four feet; Premise 2) Lions are mammals; Conclusion) Therefore, Lions have four feet. Premise 1 in this argument is true, mammals do have four feet, Premise 2 is also true, Lions are mammals, and therefore the conclusion is also true that Lions have four feet. With these true premises leading to a true conclusion help us understand
...undervalued the use of inductive reasoning, more modern logicians have embraced the value of this type of thinking and acknowledge that both inductive and deductive reasoning can be used to arrive at more thorough and accurate truths about our world and the situations that occur within it.
Although the legal profession is a single discourse community, it is made up of many smaller discourse communities. This is so because while all lawyers share the same broad goals of the legal profession and have a general knowledge and expertise in all areas of the law, most lawyers after graduating from law school and passing the bar exam specialize in a particular area of law. This specialization requires the lawyer to go beyond the broad concepts of law as a whole and to become knowledgeable and proficient in the sometimes minute details of a more specific area of law. Even then, some lawyers will go even further to focus on one aspect or another of that particular area of law. This results in most lawyers being members of many even smal...
This structure shows the two initial premises which he argues, in detail, to be correct and in the case that they are correct a logically valid conclusion.
First of all, it is important for us to know what logic in itself is. Logic comes from a Greek word “ logike”Firstly it describes the use of valid reason in performing an activity. Secondly it tends to name normative study of what reasoning is.Logic was studied in several civilizations from China to Greece.
Stephen Toulmin noticed that good realistic arguments consist of six actual parts. The extended method includes claims, data, and warrants, but it includes backing, qualifications, and a rebuttal, which are used to test the authority of a given warrant. The backing takes the warrants and adds additional evidence and reasoning to validate the warrant. With backing a warrant, there must be a way of qualifying statements expressing the degree to which the speaker defends a claim or to limit the strength of the argument to its truth. There is never just one view or one side of an argument, there are counter-arguments or statements called rebuttals that indicate the circumstances when the general argument does not hold true.
Evidence collection is a crucial part of forensics. Its reliability can be compromised by input bias from law
It is a known fact that technology that is developed in motor sports will eventually trickle down to the automotive industry. However for a long time this has been happening with gas powered technology and safety innovations. Recently, there has been a startup of a new form of motorsports that focuses on Earth’s environmental status. Formula E is one of the ways to spread social and political awareness and interest in electric vehicles. To make the car a sustainable and innovative platform. The goal of this research paper is to answer the following questions: how fast will the technology trickle down from motorsport to everyday life, are these efforts worth it, will Formula E make electric cars more popular around the world, how much do electric
...erlock Holmes. “It’s not an easy task, that constant cognitive vigilance, the eternal awareness of our own limitations and the resulting strategic allocation of attention” (Konnikova, "Do You See like Dr. Watson or Observe like Sherlock Holmes"). It is not easy for some people to think just like him but it is something that can be acquired by constant practice and dedication. Holmes teaches us how to be mindful to our surroundings and apply it in our lives. He also shows us how to make great connections about the things that we see and the things that we know already and from there deduce the possible cause. The use of deductive reasoning as a convention is crucial because not all readers possesses extraordinary intellect like Holmes but as we, the readers go through the novel, learn to expand these abilities ourselves and learn to apply them in our everyday lives.
What is math? If you had asked me that question at the beginning of the semester, then my answer would have been something like: “math is about numbers, letters, and equations.” Now, however, thirteen weeks later, I have come to realize a new definition of what math is. Math includes numbers, letters, and equations, but it is also so much more than that—math is a way of thinking, a method of solving problems and explaining arguments, a foundation upon which modern society is built, a structure that nature is patterned by…and math is everywhere.
Mathematical logic is something that has been around for a very long time. Centuries Ago Greek and other logicians tried to make sense out of mathematical proofs. As time went on other people tried to do the same thing but using only symbols and variables. But I will get into detail about that a little later. There is also something called set theory, which is related with this. In mathematical logic a lot of terms are used such as axiom and proofs. A lot of things in math can be proven, but there are still some things that will probably always remain theories or ideas.