Between One and All

There were many interesting topics discussed throughout chapter 8. A topic discussed was “Between One and All”. There are precise generalities and vague generalities. There are a lot of similarities between one and all, which refers back to precise generalities. A vague generality focuses on different ways people talk about parts of collections without stating a certain number. There are also direct ways of reasoning with almost all and ways to argue backwards with almost all as well.

One can tell if an argument is valid if they have enough precision. An example of a vague generality is:

           

            Very few cats do not meow.

            Fluffy is a cat.

            So fluffy meows.

 This premise gives very good cause to believe the conclusion. You can also reasoning a chain with almost all. But, this argument is usually weak. All of this information focuses on what makes a general claim and is very useful for arguments.