premiseconclusion

Premiseconclusion is a term used to describe the relationship between premises and conclusion in an argument. A premise is a statement offered as evidence or a basis for belief; the conclusion is the claim that the argument seeks to establish. The connection between these elements—the premise-conclusion relationship—defines how support is supposed to justify the conclusion.

In deductive reasoning, an argument is valid if the conclusion necessarily follows from the premises. If the premises are true and the argument is valid, the argument is sound. In inductive reasoning, premises provide support that makes the conclusion likely but not certain. Thus, premises determine the strength of the inference, with validity and soundness applying to deductive arguments and probability applying to inductive ones.

Common deductive forms illustrate how premises lead to a conclusion. Modus ponens: If P then Q; P; therefore Q. Modus tollens: If P then Q; not Q; therefore not P. Hypothetical syllogism: If P then Q; If Q then R; therefore If P then R. Premise-conclusion relationships can be explicit, as in formal proofs, or implicit within broader arguments, where identifying the premises and the conclusion helps assess strength and relevance.

Common issues arise when the premise-conclusion relationship fails to hold, such as non sequiturs (conclusions that do not follow from premises), false premises, circular reasoning, or begging the question. Clear articulation of premises and conclusion is central to evaluating argument quality in logic, philosophy, law, and everyday reasoning.