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Think For Yourself

Arguments Aren't Fights: What a Real Argument Looks Like

Ages 10–14 25 min read Beginner

When most people hear "argument," they think of shouting matches. But in logic and critical thinking, an argument is something very different: it's a structured claim supported by evidence and reasoning.

Learning to build good arguments — and spot bad ones — is one of the most powerful skills you can develop.

What Is an Argument (in Logic)?

A logical argument has three parts:

  1. Premise(s): Starting facts or assumptions
  2. Reasoning: The logical connection between premises and conclusion
  3. Conclusion: What follows from the premises

Example of a valid argument:

  • Premise 1: All mammals breathe air.
  • Premise 2: Whales are mammals.
  • Conclusion: Therefore, whales breathe air.

This is valid (the logic works) and sound (the premises are true, so the conclusion is true).

When Arguments Go Wrong

An argument can fail in two ways:

1. The logic is broken (invalid)

  • Premise 1: All dogs are animals.
  • Premise 2: My cat is an animal.
  • Conclusion: Therefore, my cat is a dog.

Both premises are true, but the conclusion doesn't follow. The logic is broken.

2. The premises are false (unsound)

  • Premise 1: All Australians live in Sydney.
  • Premise 2: Sarah is Australian.
  • Conclusion: Therefore, Sarah lives in Sydney.

The logic works, but Premise 1 is false, so the conclusion is unreliable.

Arguments vs Opinions

An opinion is a belief without structured support: "I think chocolate is the best flavour." An argument provides reasons: "Chocolate ice cream outsells all other flavours in Australia (ABS data), which suggests it's the most popular."

You're entitled to opinions. But in a discussion, only arguments carry weight. When someone responds to evidence with "Well, that's just my opinion," they're usually admitting they don't have an argument.

Tonight's Question

"Can you state one opinion you hold as a proper argument — with a premise, reasoning, and conclusion?"

Try it. It's harder than it sounds, and it's incredibly valuable practice.

The Argument Builder

  1. Each person picks a topic they have an opinion about (e.g., "Dogs are better than cats," "Summer is the best season").
  2. Write it as a proper argument: Premise → Reasoning → Conclusion.
  3. Present to the family. Others try to find weaknesses: is a premise false? Is the logic broken?
  4. Rebuild the argument to make it stronger.
  5. Discuss: was it harder than you expected to build a proper argument?

Go Further

  • Research: What is the difference between "deductive" and "inductive" reasoning?
  • Book: Being Logical: A Guide to Good Thinking by D.Q. McInerny (2004).
  • Practice: Take any news headline and try to express the underlying argument in premise-conclusion form.
  • Question: Can an argument be valid (good logic) but still reach a wrong conclusion? How?

What We Simplified

  • Real-world arguments are messier. They rarely come in neat premise-conclusion form. Extracting the argument from natural speech takes practice.
  • Not everything needs to be an argument. Emotions, experiences, and values are legitimate parts of human discourse — not everything should be reduced to logic.
  • Formal logic has limits. Some important truths (beauty, meaning, love) resist logical proof. That doesn't make them less real.

Sources

  • McInerny, D.Q. (2004). Being Logical: A Guide to Good Thinking. Random House.
  • Salmon, W.C. (2012). Logic. 3rd ed. Prentice Hall.
  • Toulmin, S. (2003). The Uses of Argument. Updated ed. Cambridge University Press.

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