Is a Conceptually Valid Argument a Formally Valid Argument?
In the context of liberal arts education, conceptually valid arguments need to be clarified in terms of their characteristics and significance, as they play an important role in communication, argument analysis, and the development of critical thinking skills. An argument is a set of propositions that consists of a conclusion and the premise that supports it. If the premise inevitably supports the conclusion, it is divided into a deductive argument, and if the premise probably supports the conclusion, it is divided into a inductive argument. Among deductive arguments, the argument in which the premise inevitably supports the conclusion is called a deductively valid argument. It is often explained that the reason why a deductive argument is valid is mainly because of its certain form. However, in addition to a valid argument by the form, there seems to be a valid argument, that is, a conceptually valid argument because of the meaning of the concepts that constitute the premise and the conclusion. Although a conceptually valid argument does not have a certain form, it seems impossible for the premise to be true and the conclusion to be false. This requires an explanation as to whether it is appropriate to classify a conceptually valid argument into a deductively valid argument. Therefore, by examining various alternatives to how to understand a conceptually valid argument, I would like to clarify the nature and practical implications of the conceptually valid argument.
Authors
- Youngah Jo
Publication Details
- Journal
- The Korean Association of General Education
- Published
- 2025-08-31
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.46392/kjge.2025.19.4.5
- Primary Topic
- Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00