Transcript BUSS 951 Seminar 8 Critical Issues in Information Systems

BUSS 951
Critical Issues in Information
Systems
Seminar 8
Arguments
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Argument
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Argument (1)
 in all aspects of research we must take care
that we ensure the quality of the argument:
 the introduction of the research problem
 the examination and analysis of the problem
 the presentation of the findings
 the analysis and conclusions
 if the reasoning is good the argument is
virtually a proof (in general it is hard to do
this in Information Systems because we are
not dealing with a sciences)
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Argument (2)
 the simplest kind of argument consists of just
one premise and a conclusion
 Premise: a statement that is assumed to be true for
the purpose of the argument from which a
conclusion is drawn, or to be implied by it
 Premises are assumptions- they are not reasoned
about and they are not conclusions
 “The most prominent political issues are those
about which the press write the most. Therefore
journalists have a great influence in the selection of
political issues around which public debate
revolves”
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Argument (3)
 in analysing an argument it is the logical
indicators that we must look to first
 there are two fundamental rules to keep in mind:
 the rule of grouping: as far as a possible reasons for
the same conclusion should be kept together, and
their similar logical status called to the readers
attention
 the rule of direction: where there are a series of
assertions, each being a reason for the next one, the
argument should move in a single direction, so that
the order of the words helps to remind us of the order
of the thought
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Argument (4)
Validity of deductive arguments is determined by
their logical form, not by the content of the statements
which they comprise
True premises and a true
conclusion
 All diamonds are hard
 Some diamonds are gems
 Therefore some gems are hard
Some or all premises false and a
false conclusion
 All cats have wings
 All dogs are cats
 Therefore all dogs have wings
Some or all premises are false
and a true conclusion
 All cats have wings
 All birds are cats
 Therefore all birds have wings
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Argument (5)
 Deductive argument infer the particular from the
general:
 All humans are mortal
 Socrates is human
 Therefore Socrates is mortal  conclusion
 Inductive argument contains the claim that its
premises only provide some support for the
conclusion




Socrates is human and is mortal
Xanthippe is human and is mortal
Sappho is human and is mortal
Therefore probably all human are mortal
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Argument (6)
Venn diagrams provide us with a
clear and untechnical method of
checking the validity of deductive
arguments
Eg. Some engineers are females
Females
Engineers
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