Ch.3 Tests for an Argument to be Good

According to Epstein, there are three tests to look at before an argument can be considered to be good. First, the premises must be reasonable, or believable. It must be more logical than the conclusion, and finally, the argument has to be valid or strong. For example, the best college football teams in the nation are ranked numbers one through twenty-five. This weekend, Alabama was ranked number one and beat San Jose State. So, Alabama is the best college football team in the nation. In this argument, the premises are logical, and are more believable than the conclusion. It is true that the best college football teams are ranked by numbers one through twenty-five, and it is true that Alabama is number one. However, even though Alabama is ranked number one and should be considered the best team in the nation, someone else might believe number two ranked Ohio State should be considered the best team because they also won and are undefeated just like Alabama. This means that the premises are true, but the conclusion may be false. Overall, the argument is strong, but not valid. Since we know that college football teams are ranked and Alabama is currently number one, it makes a good argument.