Premises and Conclusions
Every belief stands on legs. Count them, then test them.
Skill in training: Map premises to conclusions; distinguish a valid inference from a true premise.
The Situation
You think: 'She didn't greet me. People who are angry don't greet you. So she is angry with me.'
Core Insight
An argument can be perfectly valid and still false, if a premise is false. Test both the joints and the legs.
Epictetus
If the second premise is false, what remains of your afternoon of worry?
Examination Exercise
For each argument, judge: valid or invalid; and is each premise actually known?
If it rains, the square is wet. The square is wet. Therefore it rained.
If she is in Athens she cannot be here. She is in Athens. Therefore she is not here.
Practice Beyond the Academy
Take one worry today and write it as premises and a conclusion. Mark each premise: known, assumed, or false. Record what happened to the conclusion.
Reflection · saved to your work
- Which of your standing beliefs has an unexamined premise?
- Where did validity fool you into feeling certainty?
Test your judgment by the four virtues.