Section outline

  • General

    Collapse all Expand all

  • 隐藏处所

    “You should eat Veggie-O’s for breakfast because they contain more frammispilts than other cereals”.
    ::" 你应该吃蔬菜-O早餐,因为它们比其他谷物中含有更多的恶性食物 " 。

    This argument is not valid as it stands, but why not? Is something missing?
    ::这一论点目前不成立,但为什么不成立?

    See the end of the lesson for the answer.
    ::答案见课的结尾。

    Hidden Premises 
    ::隐藏处所

    One of the most important skills to learn in order to become skilled with logic and reason is to understand the concept of the hidden premise . Many, many arguments contain a hidden premise, and, although it can be used as a sort of sneaky way to avoid an obvious flaw in a line of reasoning, a hidden premise does not necessarily make an argument invalid. The trick to handling a hidden premise is to recognize it right away for what it is, and then state it clearly so that it may be correctly included in your evaluation of the argument.
    ::学习以掌握逻辑和理性的最重要技能之一是理解隐蔽前提的概念。 许多许多论点都包含隐藏的前提,尽管可以作为一种隐秘的方式避免推理中明显的缺陷,但隐蔽前提并不一定使一个论点无效。 处理隐蔽前提的技巧是立即承认它的存在,然后明确指出它,以便将其正确地纳入你对争论的评价中。

    A hidden premise is a premise that is required in order to reach the stated conclusion, but is not itself stated clearly in the argument. Consider the following:
    ::隐蔽的前提是得出所述结论所需的前提,但其本身在论点中没有明确说明。

    “My bag of candy is better than yours, because mine has more red pieces”.
    ::“我的一袋糖果比你的更好,因为我的有更多的红块。”

    lesson content

    This is not a valid argument as written, what is wrong with it?
    ::这不是书面的正当论据,有什么问题?

    Let’s break it down and see:
    ::让我们分解一下,看一看:

    Premise 1: My bag of candy has more red pieces
    ::假设1:我的糖果袋 有更多的红色碎片

    Hidden premise: Red candy pieces are better than other-colored pieces.
    ::隐藏的前提:红色糖果比其他彩色糖要好。

    Conclusion: My bag of candy is better than yours.
    ::结论:我的糖果包比你的好

    Without the assumption of the hidden premise , the conclusion makes no sense, and the argument is invalid . In order to make a decision about the soundness of the argument, you will need to decide if you accept the premise “red candies are best”. If you agree that “red candies are best” is a viable premise, the argument is sound, and the conclusion is reasonable. If you believe that yellow candies are better than red ones, then you will obviously reject the premise, and the conclusion will no longer seem reasonable. Regardless of your feelings about red candy, however, the important point here is that you must take the hidden premise into account as you evaluate the argument.
    ::如果没有隐蔽前提的假设,结论是毫无意义的,论点是无效的。为了对论点的正确性作出决定,你必须决定你是否接受“红色糖果是最好的”这一前提。如果你同意“红色糖果是最好的”是一个可行的前提,那么论点是有道理的,结论是合理的。如果你认为黄色糖果比红色糖果好,那么你显然会拒绝这一前提,结论就不再合理了。然而,不管你对红色糖果的感情如何,这里的重要一点是,你必须在评估论点时考虑隐藏的前提。

    Finding Hidden Premises
    ::查找隐藏的房舍

    1. Consider the following:
    ::1. 考虑以下各点:

    “We should reduce the penalty for drunk driving, it would result in more convictions”
    ::“我们应该减少对醉酒驾车的惩罚,这将导致更多的定罪”

    What hidden premise(s) are in this argument?
    ::这一论点中隐藏的前提是什么?

    Let’s break down what we have:
    ::让我们分解我们所拥有的:

    Premise 1: Reducing the penalty for driving drunk would result in more convictions
    ::预言1:减少对酒后驾醉驾驶的处罚将导致更多的定罪

    Conclusion: We should reduce the penalty.
    ::结论:我们应该减轻处罚。

    Something is missing, isn’t it? The logic seems like it might be ok, but there is an important premise that is assumed to be true, but unstated:
    ::逻辑似乎似乎可以,但有一个假设是真实的、但却没有声明的重要前提:

    Hidden premise: More convictions for drunk driving is better.
    ::隐藏前提:酒后驾车的定罪增多。

    Now it makes sense. Assuming the hidden premise is solid, the argument may be considered.
    ::假设隐藏的前提是坚实的,可以考虑这一论点。

    2. Consider the following:
    ::2. 考虑以下各点:

    “It should not be illegal to smoke pot, I know it does not harm anyone”.
    ::“吸烟不应是非法的,我知道它不会伤害任何人”。

    What hidden premise is this argument hinged upon?
    ::这一论点所依赖的隐藏的前提是什么?

    Let’s break it down:
    ::让我们分解一下:

    Premise: I know smoking pot is harmless
    ::预言:我知道抽大麻是无害的

    Conclusion: Smoking pot should not be illegal
    ::结论:吸烟池不应违法

    What is missing? The fact that harmless and legal are not the same thing.
    ::缺少什么?无害和合法是不一样的。

    Hidden premise: Anything I consider harmless should be legal
    ::隐藏的前提:我认为无害的任何事物都应该合法

    Now the weakness in the argument is much more apparent. While it may be a challenge for my opponent to prove that smoking pot is harmful, he or she should easily be able to demonstrate that my personal beliefs should not be consulted before the passage of every single law!
    ::现在,争论的弱点更为明显。 尽管证明抽大麻有害对我的对手来说可能是一个挑战,但他或她应该能够很容易地证明,在通过每一项法律之前,都不应该征求我的个人信仰!

    3. Consider the following:
    ::3. 考虑以下各点:

    Everyone should drink raw cow’s milk, because it is natural and not processed.
    ::每个人都应该喝生奶,因为它是天然的,而不是加工的。

    What is the hidden premise?
    ::隐藏的前提是什么?

    lesson content

    Break it down:
    ::分解出来:

    Premise: Raw milk is natural
    ::预言:生奶是天然的

    Premise: Raw milk is not processed
    ::预言:未加工生奶

    Conclusion: Everyone should drink raw milk
    ::结论:每个人都应该喝生奶

    What is missing? The assumption that natural and unprocessed are preferable for everyone.
    ::什么是缺失的?自然和未加工的假设对每个人来说都是更可取的。

    Hidden premise: It is better for everyone to drink things that are natural and unprocessed.
    ::隐藏的前提:人人都最好喝天然的和未加工的饮料。

    Earlier Problem Revisited
    ::重审先前的问题

    “You should eat Veggie-O’s for breakfast because they contain more frammispilts than other cereals”.
    ::" 你应该吃蔬菜-O的早餐,因为早餐中含有比其他谷物更稀有的谷物 " 。

    This argument is not valid as it stands, but why not? Is something missing?
    ::这一论点目前不成立,但为什么不成立?

    The hidden premise here is the assumption that “frammispilts” are important or desirable.
    ::这里隐藏的前提假设是,“自相残杀”是重要的或可取的。

    Examples
    ::实例

    Examples  1-3 refer to the following:
    ::实例1-3如下:

    “No one wants to kiss a person with bad breath, therefore you shouldn’t smoke”.
    ::" 没有人想用口臭吻一个人,所以你不应该抽烟 " 。

    Example 1
    ::例1

    Is the argument valid as written?
    ::该论点是否如书面所述有效?

    No, even if the premise “No one wants to kiss a person with bad breath” is false, the conclusion may be true, and vice versa.
    ::不,即使“没有人想用口臭吻一个人”的前提是假的,结论也可能是真实的,反之亦然。

    Example 2
    ::例2

    Is the argument sound as written?
    ::辩论是否如书写的那么合理?

    No, an invalid argument cannot be sound.
    ::否,无效的论据不能成立。

    Example 3
    ::例3

    Is there a hidden premise? If so what is it?
    ::是否有隐蔽的前提?如果有,那是什么?

    Yes, there are actually two hidden premises:
    ::是的,实际上有两处隐蔽的场所:

    Smoking causes bad breath
    ::吸烟造成口臭

    Having people want to kiss you is desirable.
    ::让人们想亲吻你是可取的。

    Example 4
    ::例4

    Is the argument sound if the hidden premise is accepted?
    ::如果接受隐藏的前提,这一论点是否合理?

    Yes, the argument is sound if the hidden premises are accepted:
    ::是的,如果接受隐藏的房舍,这一论点是有道理的:

    No one wants to kiss a person with bad breath
    ::没有人想亲一个口臭的人

    Smoking causes bad breath
    ::吸烟造成口臭

    Being kissable is desirable
    ::亲亲是可取的

    You should not smoke
    ::你不应该抽烟

    Review 
    ::回顾

    Questions 1-4 refer to the following:
    ::问题1-4如下:

    “Abortion is morally wrong because it is murder”.
    ::“从道义上讲,容忍是错误的,因为它是谋杀”。

    1. Is the argument valid as written?
    ::1. 该论点是否如书面所述有效?

    2. Is there a hidden premise? If so what is it?
    ::2. 是否有隐藏的前提?如果有,那是什么?

    3. Is the argument sound if the hidden premise is accepted?
    ::3. 如果接受隐藏的前提,这一论点是否合理?

    4. Rewrite the argument with the hidden premise stated.
    ::4. 以所陈述的隐蔽前提重写论点。

    Questions 5-8 refer to the following:
    ::问题5-8涉及以下方面:

    “Great actors make great movies. Will Smith is a great actor. Therefore Legend must be a great movie”
    ::“伟大的演员制作伟大的电影。Will Smith是一个伟大的演员。因此,传说必定是一部伟大的电影。”

    5. Is the argument valid as written?
    ::5. 该论点是否如书面所述有效?

    6. Is there a hidden premise? If so what is it?
    ::6. 是否有隐藏的前提?如果有,那是什么?

    7. Is the argument sound if the hidden premise is accepted?
    ::7. 如果接受隐藏的前提,这一论点是否合理?

    8. Rewrite the argument with the hidden premise stated.
    ::8. 以所陈述的隐蔽前提重写论点。

    Questions 9-12 refer to the following:
    ::问题9-12涉及以下方面:

    “You should get your hamburger from Christie’s Corner Market, because they sell grass-fed beef”
    ::“你应该从Christie的角市场买汉堡包,

    9. Is the argument valid as written?
    ::9. 该论点是否如书面所述有效?

    10. Is there a hidden premise? If so what is it?
    ::10. 是否有隐藏的前提?如果有,那是什么?

    11. Is the argument sound if the hidden premise is accepted?
    ::11. 如果接受隐藏的前提,这一论点是否合理?

    12. Rewrite the argument with the hidden premise stated.
    ::12. 以所陈述的隐蔽前提重写论点。

    Questions 13-16 refer to the following:
    ::问题13-16涉及以下方面:

    “Diet Cola is bad for you because it contains as part a me”
    ::“Diet Cola对你不好,因为它包含我的一部分”

    13. Is the argument valid as written?
    ::13. 该论点是否如书面所述有效?

    14. Is there a hidden premise? If so what is it?
    ::14. 是否有隐藏的前提?如果有,它是什么?

    15. Is the argument sound if the hidden premise is accepted?
    ::15. 如果接受隐藏的前提,这一论点是否合理?

    16. Rewrite the argument with the hidden premise stated.
    ::16. 以所陈述的隐蔽前提重写论点。

    Review (Answers)
    ::回顾(答复)

    Click to see the answer key or go to the Table of Contents and click on the Answer Key under the 'Other Versions' option.
    ::单击可查看答题键, 或转到目录中, 单击“ 其他版本” 选项下的答题键 。