Premise

A premise is a statement offered as support for a conclusion in an argument. Its role depends on how the argument uses it, not whether it is true.

Conclusion: A proposition that an argument aims to establish using supporting statements. A premise is offered in support of this central claim.
Deductive reasoning: Reasoning in which a conclusion follows necessarily if the premises are true and the form is valid. In a deductive argument, premises aim to guarantee the conclusion.
Premise indicator: A word or phrase, such as “because” or “since,” that signals a premise in an argument. It signals that a statement is being offered as support.
Syllogism: A deductive argument consisting of two premises and a conclusion. Its standard form makes the relation between premises and conclusion easy to inspect.
Inference: The reasoning process by which one or more statements support another statement. It is the step that links premises to a conclusion.
Inductive reasoning: Reasoning that uses particular cases or evidence to support a probable general conclusion. Inductive premises make a conclusion more likely without guaranteeing it.
Conclusion indicator: A word or phrase, such as “therefore” or “thus,” that signals an argument’s conclusion. It marks the claim supported by premises, rather than the supporting statements.
Scientific method: A systematic approach to developing and testing explanations through observation and experimentation. Scientific explanations rely on premises drawn from observations, measurements, and background theory.
Argument: A set of statements in which some are offered as reasons for another. A premise is one of the supporting statements within this broader structure.
Validity: A property of a deductive argument whose conclusion follows from its premises if they are true. Validity concerns the support relation, not whether the premises are actually true.

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