Description
This article is from the Atheism FAQ, by mathew meta@pobox.com with numerous contributions by
others.
52 Real life, and other things not considered (Atheism - Constructing a Logical Argument)
This document has considered logical argument as a process in
isolation from the real world. Nothing has been said about how
premises are arrived at, or how they are themselves checked to see if
they accord with the way things actually are.
Ultimately, the conclusion of a valid logical argument is only as
compelling as the basic premises it is derived from. Logic in itself
does not solve the problem of verifying the basic assertions which
support arguments; for that, we need some other tool.
In real life, the dominant means of verifying basic assertions is
scientific enquiry. The philosophy of science and the means of
scientific enquiry are both huge topics, and quite beyond the scope of
The Atheism Web.
You can criticize more than just the soundness of an argument. In
everyday life, arguments are almost always presented with some
specific purpose in mind. As well as criticizing the argument itself,
you might criticize the apparent intent of the argument. That sort of
criticism is outside the scope of this document, however.
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