False Premises
Hi,
This week’s email is about the key part of many fallacious arguments.
The information here is from my article on the topic.
Here are the key practical points you should know:
A false premise is an incorrect assumption that forms the basis of an argument and makes it logically unsound.
For example, in the argument "all birds can fly, and penguins can't fly, so penguins aren't birds", the assumption that "all birds can fly" is a false premise (since some birds can't fly).
To respond to false premises, you can ask the person who made them to justify them, or explain why they're false yourself, possibly while showing how they invalidate the argument they're a part of.
Keep in mind that false premises can be implicit, and their presence doesn't necessarily invalidate an argument's main point.
To avoid using false premises, it can help to do things like identify the assumptions in your argument, consider how confident you are in those assumptions and why, and analyze your argument as if it was presented by someone else.
As always, I'm happy to hear your thoughts.
Have a great week,
Itamar