Premisesreasons

Premisesreasons is a coined term used to describe the relationship between premises and the reasons they provide within an argument. The word fuses premises (the propositions assumed as starting points) with reasons (the justificatory material offered to support a claim). In standard argumentation theory, premises are statements from which a conclusion logically follows; the reasons are the justification those premises give for accepting the conclusion.

Usage: The term is not widely standardized and does not appear as a formal category in most philosophy texts, but some educational materials use it to emphasize that premises function as reasons. It can help students distinguish between merely stating information and explaining why that information supports a conclusion.

Definition: Premisesreasons are the statements that serve as justification for a claim, forming the evidential basis of the argument. They can be logical premises, empirical data, normative claims, or practical implications, provided they bear on the conclusion.

Examples: All humans are mortal (premise/reason). Socrates is a human (premise/reason). Therefore, Socrates is mortal (conclusion). Another example: The sidewalk is wet this morning (premise); It rained overnight (premise); Therefore, the sidewalk is wet due to rain (conclusion). In evaluating arguments, assess relevance, sufficiency, and credibility of the premises/reasons.

See also: premises, evidence, justification, grounds, argumentation theory.