What are the three questions that you can ask that will help identify hidden assumptions? -“Are there any hidden premises being used?” -“
Why do you believe your point is valid?
” -“What point are you trying to make?”
So how should we go about identifying hidden assumptions? There are two main steps involved. First,
determine whether the argument is valid or not
. If the argument is valid, the conclusion does indeed follow from the premises, and so the premises have shown explicitly the assumptions needed to derive the conclusion.
Hidden assumptions are
statements that are implied by your argument–statements that you need to get from A to Z
. For instance, look at the statement: Joanne’s a lawyer, so she makes wonderful cookies. The speaker doesn’t tell us what kind of cookies Joanne makes, nor what is so wonderful about them.
A hidden assumption is
a premise or assumption that supports an argument or theory without that assumption being made explicit
and thus the holder of the theory or argument may often be unaware of it.
Why is it important to identify hidden assumptions?
Oftentimes hidden assumptions cannot support the conclusion
. “Arguments are either or . They are never a matter of ‘ opinion .
Why is it so important to be able to identify fallacies within arguments?
Logical fallacies can often be used to mislead people – to trick them into believing something they otherwise wouldn’t.
The ability to discern a valid argument from a false one
is an important skill. It’s a key aspect of critical thinking , and it can help you to avoid falling prey to fake news .
How can you be sure that an authority is informed?
See if the authority has published any related books or articles
. See if the authority has conducted any related research studies. See if the authority is up-to-date with current trends and studies.
What is assumption statement?
Statement & Assumption – Concept. … Assumption: One of the most important things to know about assumptions is that
when a statement is given, the author of the statement believes the assumption to be true
and this same approach must be used by candidates while answering the questions based on this topic.
What is an example of an assumption?
assumption
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. An assumption is something that you assume to be the case, even without proof. For example, people might make the assumption that you’re a nerd if you wear glasses, even though that’s not true.
How do you write an assumption?
- Don’t touch them, leave them as they are; …
- Explain them in more detail (make them explicit) …
- Offer evidence (convert them into supported claims) …
- Change them (revise the larger claim)
How do you identify assumptions?
One of the most reliable ways to find assumptions is to
look for shifts in language between the premises and conclusion of an argument
. When new stuff appears in the conclusion that wasn’t discussed in the premises, it usually got there by way of an assumption.
How do you know if something is an assumption?
There’s
at least one significant gap
. When there’s a gap in an argument (in other words, a missing link between support and conclusion) that argument is assuming that something is true without stating it. In other words, it’s an assumption.
Hidden arguments are those implications. … The hidden argument is that
we ought not focus on drug companies when we reform our health care system
; instead the implication is that the health care problem lies in other places such as the doctors, the insurance companies, or the hospitals.
How do you identify implicit assumptions?
- Implicit assumptions are those that haven’t been articulated. We make implicit assumptions based on our personal experience and position, often without even realising that that’s what we’re doing. …
- Explicit assumptions are those that have been expressed and shared.
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: “
My bag of candy is better than yours, because mine has more
red pieces”. This is not a valid argument as written, what is wrong with it?
What is the underlying assumption of an argument?
In an argument, an assumption is a
premise that is not explicitly (directly) stated
. These unstated premises are very important since the validity of an argument is determined by the validity of its assumptions. Assumptions are the missing links of arguments.
