What Is an Argument

In Humanities 101, I learned what the meaning of an argument was along with the term valid and sound argument. Many people might have their own opinion on what an argument is but in Humanities an argument is a list of reasons that fit together in a particular way to support some conclusion. In everyday situations, when two people have an argument, it means they disagree about something, but in this case argument means dispute. An argument is mostly used in politics. When it comes to what a valid argument is and what a sound argument is confusion begin to arise because they both are similar in a way. A valid argument is an argument whose conclusion follows its premise. When it comes to a valid argument it can have true or false premises and conclusions. A sound argument is a little simpler to detect then a valid argument because it is a valid argument with true premises. So, if all the premises are true it is a sound argument. A great example of a sound argument is: (A.) All birds can fly. (B.) A penguin is a bird. (C.) A penguin can fly. This is a valid argument, because a penguin clearly cannot fly. The premise all birds can fly is false. Another example of a valid argument that is not sound is: (A.) All mammals are human. (B.) My cat is a mammal. (C.)My cat is a human. This is a valid argument, because a cat clearly isn’t a human meaning the premise all mammals are human is false. In conclusion we learned in class the difference and similarities between an argument, a valid argument, and a sound