Posted by alexandra_k on June 8, 2005, at 16:28:32
In reply to Re: debating the undebatable » alexandra_k, posted by AuntieMel on June 8, 2005, at 8:27:30
> Debating "facts" - or using logic to show that a set of premises naturally come to a conclusion is one thing - and one that no one should have any problem with, because the premises can be shown to be true or untrue.
> Debating "opinion" however is usually an exercise in futility. Opinion doesn't involve just facts, it also involves feelings and personal experiences.Validity and invalidity (logical notions) don't require one to know whether the premises are in fact true or not.
To say that an argument is valid is to say that IF the premises were true THEN the conclusion would just have to be.
So if someone believes that the premises are true it doesn't matter whether they are right that they are true or whether they are wrong that they are true the point is that that person would also have to accept the conclusion as true if they accept the premises as true.
So they are led to contradiction if they want to assent to the premises and deny the conclusion. So they have to decide whether they want to change their mind and say that actually one of the premises is false, or that actually the conclusion is true after all.
It isn't about mind-objective truth
It is about consistency in ones belief network
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poster:alexandra_k
thread:500533
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20050530/msgs/509706.html