The Fundamentals of Debate

deas or judgments so as to enable him to form a correct opinion concerning some particular matter of uncertainty or disagreement. On the basis of the kind of relations thus employed, arguments may be divided into four classes, as follows: 1. Arguments involving the relation of simple association. 2. Arguments involving the relation of resemblance or contrast. 3. Arguments involving the relation of cause and effect, antecedent and consequent, or motive and deed. 4. Arguments involving the relation of particular and general. Though arguments are thus easily classified into four definite groups, it is not to be supposed that these groups are commonly exclusive. For all arguments, in their final analysis and when carried to completion, will involve an inference from the complex relations of association, resemblance or contrast, particular and general, and cause and effect. For example, if we should conclude, because of theissuance of smoke from a chimney, that there was a fire below, we should find on analysis that our reasoning, when fully developed, might easily involve these fourfold relations: 1. Smoke means fire?(association). 2. In other cases where I have found smoke I have found fire?(resemblance). 3. Smoke is an effect produced only by fire?(cause and ef fect). 4. Where there is smoke there is fire?(particular and gen eral). The conclusion that there is fire, here drawn from the presence of smoke, involves fundamenta...