In the book, "Critical thinking" by Richard L. Epstein, he discusses general claims in an argument. As Epstein defines, a general claim is a claim that emphasizes something in a general way about all or a part of a collection. There may be times where an argument seems valid but it is not even if the premises seem to be true. In general claims, there are uses of all, some, no and only. Epstein also discusses the use of contradictory in an argument. Contradictory is a claim that has the opposite truth value. Examples of these claims may be,
Example of general claim
Jessica is single. Jessica has a son. So Jessica is widowed.
The premises are true, but the argument is not valid. The argument sounds good, but is bad. Jessica is single and she may have a son, but Jessica may just be divorced or separated from her Husband.
Example of contradictory
Claim Contradictory
All Asians are bad drivers. Some Asian drivers are not bad drivers.
The example has the opposite truth value which makes it a contradictory.
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To be honest, I really like this post of yours! You made it so short enough to read like something I’m actually reading out of the textbook. Your format of the blog is so organized and that’s what I liked best about since it’s not all in one giant blob. Your example of a general claim is such a good example about marital status how being single can affect your current status whether you’re divorced, separated, or a widow. It’s something we can’t just assume which makes it invalid. I also like your example of a contradictory on Asian drivers because I hear it all the time. Ironically, I’m Asian myself and when I spot a bad driver that’s Asian, I’d probably mutter to myself, “Asian drivers…” :)
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