Ethics and Values / Unit 1 Ethics 015 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Standard Form
The idea
Standard form rebuilds an argument as numbered premises — each marked factual or moral — with the conclusion stated last.
In practice
Start with a colleague's pitch: "Skip the off-site — attendance is optional and the budget is tight." Step one: find the conclusion — skip the off-site. Step two: list what supports the conclusion. Premise one: attendance is optional. Factual. Premise two: the budget is tight. Factual. Step three: look for the should. Nothing on the list carries one, so state what the speaker must be assuming — premise three: employees should avoid optional spending in a tight budget. Moral. Step four: restate the whole argument, premises numbered and marked, conclusion last. Now every line can be examined on its own: challenge the facts, or challenge the should.
Where people slip
If a should-conclusion sits on all-factual premises, the argument is missing a premise, not proving extra.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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