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causative
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Since the book is titled "Critical Thinking," they probably mean that this isn't a good argument to believe God exists.

It does accurately, factually explain why the person raised a Baptist believes God exists. But it does not justify this belief; it explains why the belief is held without supporting the belief itself.

Formally, you are right that it is technically an argument. A formal argument doesn't need two premises, or even any premises, and it may be fallacious. But it looks like this book uses a different definition of "argument":

Time to look more closely at arguments—the kind that actually show something (unlike the red herrings and emotional appeals and other fallacies we are going to be talking about in a moment).

So this book, at least in that section, reserves the word "argument" for arguments whose premises do support the conclusion.

Since the book is titled "Critical Thinking," they probably mean that this isn't a good argument to believe God exists.

It does accurately, factually explain why the person raised a Baptist believes God exists. But it does not justify this belief; it explains why the belief is held without supporting the belief itself.

Formally, you are right that it is technically an argument. A formal argument doesn't need two premises, or even any premises.

Since the book is titled "Critical Thinking," they mean that this isn't a good argument to believe God exists.

It does accurately, factually explain why the person raised a Baptist believes God exists. But it does not justify this belief; it explains why the belief is held without supporting the belief itself.

Formally, you are right that it is technically an argument. A formal argument doesn't need two premises, or even any premises, and it may be fallacious. But it looks like this book uses a different definition of "argument":

Time to look more closely at arguments—the kind that actually show something (unlike the red herrings and emotional appeals and other fallacies we are going to be talking about in a moment).

So this book, at least in that section, reserves the word "argument" for arguments whose premises do support the conclusion.

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causative
  • 14.8k
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Since the book is titled "Critical Thinking," they probably mean that this isn't a good argument to believe God exists.

It does accurately, factually explain why the person raised a Baptist believes God exists. But it does not justify this belief; it explains why the belief is held without supporting the belief itself.

Formally, you are right that it is technically an argument. A formal argument doesn't need two premises, or even any premises.

Since the book is titled "Critical Thinking," they probably mean that this isn't a good argument to believe God exists.

It does accurately, factually explain why the person raised a Baptist believes God exists. But it does not justify this belief; it explains why the belief is held without supporting the belief itself.

Formally, you are right that it is technically an argument.

Since the book is titled "Critical Thinking," they probably mean that this isn't a good argument to believe God exists.

It does accurately, factually explain why the person raised a Baptist believes God exists. But it does not justify this belief; it explains why the belief is held without supporting the belief itself.

Formally, you are right that it is technically an argument. A formal argument doesn't need two premises, or even any premises.

Source Link
causative
  • 14.8k
  • 2
  • 18
  • 59

Since the book is titled "Critical Thinking," they probably mean that this isn't a good argument to believe God exists.

It does accurately, factually explain why the person raised a Baptist believes God exists. But it does not justify this belief; it explains why the belief is held without supporting the belief itself.

Formally, you are right that it is technically an argument.