An engineer is often placed in a position where he/she will need to employ an in

Question

An engineer is often placed in a position where he/she will need to employ an inductive argument to persuade others. Which of the following statements best describes an inductive argument?
(a) An argument that is intended by the arguer merely to establish or increase the probability of its conclusion.
(b) An argument that is intended by the arguer to provide a guarantee of the truth of the conclusion provided that the argument's assumptions are true.
(c) An argument that is concerned with deciding what the most likely inference that can be made from a set of observations.
(d) An argument that is based in fact and that the conclusions are self-evident.

Explanation / Answer

The correct answer is c, "An argument that is concerned with deciding what the most likely inference that can be made from a set of observations."

An inductive argument is an argument in which it is thought that the premises provide reasons supporting the probable truth of the conclusion. Here, the premises are intended only to be strong if they are true and then it is unlikely that the conclusion is false.

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