Philosophy Stack Exchange
Philosophy Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [soundness]

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Can an argument be valid even though one of its premises is false?

Is it possible for an argument to be valid by virtue of its logical form, but contain a false premise? In other words, can a premise be false even though the argument itself is logically valid? Thanks in advance! (For context: the initial question…
Curious
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Is Propositional Logic Sound and Complete

After reading Gödel's incompleteness theorem, I wonder if there are any systems whose axioms are sound and complete. I realize that Gödel's arguments (at least from my sources) only apply to arithmetic logic. So, I wonder if it applies to…
Michael Choi
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How does one prove properties of soundness and completeness for a logic using proof-theoretic semantics?

Can one prove these properties at all without relying on notions of models and interpretations? Are there other properties that proof-theorists usually prove instead? From what I've read, I've only found people proving logical harmony and using this…
user393454
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Example of an unsound argument with true premise and true conclusions

I'm doing an introductory undergraduate course on philosophy. I was reading an introduction to what argument is and what kinds of arguments there are when I came across this. 'Soundness: An argument is sound if it is (i) valid and (ii) …
user140161
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Are there quantitative measures for the soundness of an argument?

I wonder if anyone has explored a quantitative measurement of the soundness of an argument. By soundness, I mean the extent to which the argument's premises are true and valid. By quantitative measure, I mean has anyone constructed a number that, if…
Brash Equilibrium
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Is "(1) All humans are mortal. (2) Socrates is mortal. Conclusion: Socrates is human." unsound argument?

I am new to a philosophy course and recently learned about validity and soundness of an argument. In this exercise: Premise 1: All humans are mortal. Premise 2: Socrates is mortal. Conclusion: Socrates is human. It is asked to find if this…
tarit goswami
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If an argument cannot be known as sound, can it still be claimed as sound?

I have read the the criteria to determine if an argument is sound is if its claim is valid and its premises are true. However, what if no one can know whether or not an argument is sound because no one can evaluate its claim as valid and its…
Dennis Francis Blewett
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How can a proof system be unsound?

I have recently started learning propositional logic. I stumbled upon the concepts of soundness and completeness. According to http://intrologic.stanford.edu/chapters/chapter_04.html, a proof system is sound if and only if every provable conclusion…
Ninch
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Counterfactuals in Premises for Arguments

Can counterfactuals in premises make an argument sound and valid? I understand that soundness requires both validity and true premises whilst validity requires the premises to follow to the conclusion.
farce
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Soundness of a deductive argument

I am a student who was just introduced to philosophy. On a test, we were given the following multiple-choice question on soundness of a deductive argument: “Anything that travels in time necessarily changes the past. But necessarily, nothing changes…
rhyaeris
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Is this lexical or structural ambiguity: "criminal actions are illegal, and murder trials are criminal actions, so murder trials are illegal"?

I am yet to learn about ambiguity and sound arguments but am attepting to make the following argument sound. All criminal actions are illegal All murder trials are criminal actions Therefore All murder trials are illegal The argument is…
Trish
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Question of Validity in syllogisms of deductive argument

I read the following excerpt from my A-Level Philosophy book: "Two key terms that you need to understand in relation to deductions and other forms of argument are ‘validity’ and ‘soundness’. Validity relates to the form of the argument. Soundness…
User1265
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Validity and Soundness

The following is an argument which I thought was sound but I have been told I am wrong. Some men are married Therefore Some men are not married I think this argument is sound because the premise is true, the conclusion follows on from the…
Trish
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Example of a Sound Argument

I used the following example as a sound argument but was marked incorrect. I can't determine where I went wrong. All criminal actions are illegal All murder trials are criminal actions Therefore All murder trials are illegal
Trish
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Determining the soundness of arguments

I was recently given the following question in an exam. Determine the soundness of the following argument: John lives on the same street as Mary. Mary lives on the same street as Sam. Therefore, Sam lives on the same street as John. I understand…
DrDeanification
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