------------------------------------------------------------------------ SUBJECT: Validity ------------------------------------------------------------------------ At the risk of boring you, let me say a few more words about explaining why an argument is valid. Remember the sequence of possible *correct* answers in my last message (here augmented with one more): An argument is valid because: * it is valid. * the conclusion follows logically * "one premise leads you to the next, and all premises combined lead to the conclusion" * any situation that makes all the premises true also makes the conclusion true The first is true but useless as an explanation. The second says a bit more, but leaves open what "follows logically" means. The third says a bit more, but leaves open what "leads to" means. The fourth says a lot more, giving one of the formal definitions. But all fail as explanations of why a particular argument is valid, such as PP4's argument from the first 3 premises to conclusion 4. There's a missing premise, namely, a statement explaining why those particular premises validly support that particular conclusion. And that kind of premise has to talk about the subject matter of the argument, not just repeat a definition.