Uploaded March 2021 | Updated September 2026, 6 hours ago
This video is about argument reconstruction. Once you've identified that someone is making an argument, how do you know what argument the author is making?
We discuss why we reconstruct arguments in standard form. Then we discuss the three steps of argument reconstruction: identifying the conclusion, identifying the premises, and applying the principles of charity and faithfulness. Finally, we talk about cheap validity: the idea that it's always possible to make any invalid argument valid by adding a linking premise.
Much of the material from this video is taken from Feldman's Reason and Argument, chapter 5.
0:00 Introduction
2:25 Step 1: Identifying the Conclusion
9:17 Step 2: Identifying the Premises
20:25 Step 3: The Principles of Charity and Faithfulness
22:45 Cheap Validity
26:05 Summary and Conclusion
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Check out my website: liz-jackson.com
For more on my research: liz-jackson.com/research
For popular-level interviews, podcasts, and blog posts I’ve done: liz-jackson.com/public-philosophy
Follow me on social media:
Twitter: twitter.com/lizjackson111
Instagram: @lizjackson111
Facebook: facebook.com/lizjackson111
This video is about argument reconstruction. Once you've identified that someone is making an argument, how do you know what argument the author is making?
We discuss why we reconstruct arguments in standard form. Then we discuss the three steps of argument reconstruction: identifying the conclusion, identifying the premises, and applying the principles of charity and faithfulness. Finally, we talk about cheap validity: the idea that it's always possible to make any invalid argument valid by adding a linking premise.
Much of the material from this video is taken from Feldman's Reason and Argument, chapter 5.
0:00 Introduction
2:25 Step 1: Identifying the Conclusion
9:17 Step 2: Identifying the Premises
20:25 Step 3: The Principles of Charity and Faithfulness
22:45 Cheap Validity
26:05 Summary and Conclusion
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Check out my website: liz-jackson.com
For more on my research: liz-jackson.com/research
For popular-level interviews, podcasts, and blog posts I’ve done: liz-jackson.com/public-philosophy
Follow me on social media:
Twitter: twitter.com/lizjackson111
Instagram: @lizjackson111
Facebook: facebook.com/lizjackson111
