The Seven Logical Proofs
Sign
Claim: Grandpa was here.
Support: The mail that I was saving for him is gone.
Warrant: Only Grandpa could have taken the mail.
Induction
Claim: All grandpas take naps in the afternoon.
Support: Both my grandpas, and my friend’s two grandpas nap in the afternoon.
Warrant: One may generalize the behavior of all grandpas from that of four.
Cause/Effect
Claim: Americans are obese because they are eating too much cheese.
Support: Americans are eating more cheese.
Warrant: Since cheese is high in calories, an increase in its consumption explains the cause of increasing obesity in the U.S.
Deduction
Warrant (often unstated): Only people who believe in God are moral.
Claim: John is immoral.
Support: John does not believe in God.
Analogy
A. Historical – present event same as past event
Claim: Obama will be president in 2012.
Support: Reagan was elected to a second term after his party experienced major losses in the midterm elections of his first term.
Warrant: Obama and Reagan are similar.
B. Literal
Claim: Alicia should take aspirin for her headache.
Support: When her sister did, her headache went away.
Warrant: Alicia and her sister are so similar that the same medication will work the same way for both of them.
C. Figurative
Claim: Taking a train ride relaxes the body.
Support: Being rocked is relaxing.
Warrant: The rocking on a train is similar to being rocked as a baby.
Definition
Claim: Male chauvinists are dangerous.
Support: Male chauvinists use violent methods. (by definition)
Warrant: Violent methods are dangerous. (by definition)
Statistics
Claim: Most people from Boston like to read.
Support: When asked, 8 out of 10 Bostonians said that they would prefer to read rather than work.
Warrant: People who prefer to read rather than work like to read.
(The Seven Logical Proofs (based on a section so-named in Dr. Nancy Wood’s book Perspectives on Argument. Via Dr. Barbara Chiarello, HONR-LA 1302 Politics of Beauty)
