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Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing valid conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. [1] It is associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, religion, science, language, mathematics, and art, and is normally considered to be a distinguishing ability possessed by humans.
The purpose of arguments is to convince a person that something is the case by providing reasons for this belief. [25] [26] Many arguments in natural language do not explicitly state all the premises. Instead, the premises are often implicitly assumed, especially if they seem obvious and belong to common sense.
Normative reasons are what people appeal to when making arguments about what people should do or believe. For example, that a doctor's patient is grimacing is a reason to believe the patient is in pain. That the patient is in pain is a reason for the doctor to do things to alleviate the pain. Explanatory reasons are explanations of why things ...
Style over substance – embellishing an argument with compelling language, exploiting a bias towards the esthetic qualities of an argument, e.g. the rhyme-as-reason effect [85] Wishful thinking – arguing for a course of action by the listener according to what might be pleasing to imagine rather than according to evidence or reason. [86]
The psychology of reasoning (also known as the cognitive science of reasoning [1]) is the study of how people reason, often broadly defined as the process of drawing conclusions to inform how people solve problems and make decisions. [2]
As the study of argument is of clear importance to the reasons that we hold things to be true, logic is of essential importance to rationality. Arguments may be logical if they are "conducted or assessed according to strict principles of validity", [1] while they are rational according to the broader requirement that they are based on reason and knowledge.
There are several reasons for this difficulty. People often are not themselves clear on whether they are arguing for or explaining something. The same types of words and phrases are used in presenting explanations and arguments. The terms 'explain' or 'explanation,' et cetera are frequently used in arguments.
In this sense, definitory rules determine whether one plays chess or something else whereas strategic rules determine whether one is a good or a bad chess player. [13] [26] The same applies to deductive reasoning: to be an effective reasoner involves mastering both definitory and strategic rules. [13]