How is this even possible?

Question

When discussing arguments, truth and validity are two basic concerns. Is it possible for an argument to be valid if it is not truthful? Discuss these two concepts, using truth tables.

Answer 1

Let's say, for instance, I believe that a particular company is a great place to work. The person I am having the argument believes it is not a great place to work. Since neither one of us has evidence to back up our arguments, I could say that I know someone that worked there and they said it was a great place to work (a lie). Now, even though my eveidence to back up my argument is not true, how can you say that the argument itself is not valid. This company may very well be a great place to to work.

Upon saying that, I would have to say that you can have an argument that is valid but not truthful.

Answer 2

It depends on whether you're using the word 'valid' in the way most people do (then, as others have said, no), or the way logicians use it (in which case, yes).

The argument

All men are penguins.
Fred is a man.
Therefore, Fred is a penguin.

is deductively valid, which is to say, if the premises are true, the conclusion must be true. The FORM of the argument is valid.

This concept of validity says nothing about the truth of the premises. The formal logician would say the argument is valid, but not sound (as 'sound' means both valid, and beginning with true premises).

Thus, for example, to the formal logician, the phrase "valid question" is an oxymoron, since questions can't be valid or invalid, only arguments can.

But in ordinary English, the phrase 'valid question' is perfectly, well, valid.

Few people understand this point about a given word having both a technical use, and a perfectly legitimate ordinary language use.

Not sure how you see truth tables coming into play here.

Answer 3

A statement is an assertion that can be determined to be true or false. The truth value of a statement is T if it is true and F if it is false. For example, the statement ``2 + 3 = 5'' has truth value T. Statements that involve one or more of the connectives ``and'', ``or'', ``not'', ``if then'' and ``if and only if '' are compound statements (otherwise they are simple statements). For example, ``It is not the case that 2 + 3 = 5'' is the negation of the statement above.

The Iraq war may be a good example of valid concerns of potential danger to western society posed by their supposed possesion of WMD, but whether or not Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction calls into question the truth of Iraq's threat potential.

On a personal level one could view a relationship where one party suspects the other of infidelity. This can be for most a valid concern yet the truth of the matter may well turn out to be that sure enough there is infidelity but that cheating less then significant other truly loves the person their cheating on. If there is true love then why would one partner lie to and cheat on another? A myriad of possible answers for that but that does not negate the possibility of there being true love.

Answer 4

the study of literature is based entirely on the concept that there isn't an absolute truth, only arguments that are valid for the interpretation of the evidence presented in the text. fine art works the same way as well. without the author or artist there to tell us if our assumptions are correct, all we have to go one are the validity of an argument, not its truth. only the creator can deliver the final say-so in the truth of an argument based on their work. this is where the expression "there are no right or wrong answers in literature." thats not entirely true. it should be expressed more like this: "in literature, there are no right answers, but there sure as hell are wrong ones."

*i'm not going to use a truth table because i'm pretty sure this is an assignment you are supposed to be doing on your own, but i did like the question and wanted to give my answer to it.

Answer 5

I'm not sure what a truth table is...but my answer to "your" question is, I don't think that an argument is valid if it is not truthful. I think that the only way an argument is valid is if its rationality is tangible and can be proven with hard core evidence.

Answer 6

Our opinions are based from our perspectives. We'll never know if they're truly true to objective reality but we can make our best guess. Thus it's simply pitting our perspectives against one another. So arguments are simply disagreements. To end the arguments you must agree on something. Even if it's simply agreeing to disagree, so when in an argument, speak word of what you agree with, and take it from there to change the tide of the conversation.

Answer 7

I'm guessing it all depends on the question :) but she's right its not valid if its not truthful unless your okay with a lie....