Edwina, List:

ET:  2] If it rains, my car will get wet. My car is wet: Therefore, it
rained.

ET:  The premises are valid. But the conclusion is invalid - I left the
sprinkler on.


Admittedly nitpicking here, but *premisses *are not "valid," they are
either true or false; only *arguments *are valid or invalid.  Also, in this
case the argument is *deductively *invalid, but *retroductively*
valid--i.e., the hypothesis that it rained is a *plausible *explanation of
the surprising fact that my car is wet, given my knowledge of the rule that
a wet car would be an outcome of it raining.

Regards,

Jon Alan Schmidt - Olathe, Kansas, USA
Professional Engineer, Amateur Philosopher, Lutheran Layman
www.LinkedIn.com/in/JonAlanSchmidt - twitter.com/JonAlanSchmidt

On Thu, Oct 5, 2017 at 2:24 PM, Edwina Taborsky <[email protected]> wrote:

> Helmut, list - but, can't an inference be illogical in its format?
>
> For example:
>
> 1] All cats are animals/ All dogs are animals: Therefore, all cats are
> dogs.
>
> The premises of the above syllogism are valid; but, the reasoning or
> conclusion is invalid. [Undistributed middle].
>
> 2] If it rains, my car will get wet. My car is wet: Therefore, it rained.
>
> The premises are valid. But the conclusion is invalid - I left the
> sprinkler on.
>
> Your outline of the three methods of reasoning is a different topic than a
> discussion on ''inference' or 'conclusions'.
>
> Edwina
>
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