13.3.5: Argument Based on Signs
- Page ID
- 36894
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There's a railroad crossing sign ahead on the highway, so there's a railroad crossing ahead. This is simple reasoning in the form of an argument based on signs. These arguments occur without the use of the word "sign," though. Here is another example.
Look, it just moved. It's alive! Shoot!
The argument here is that movement is a sign of being alive, so, since it moved, it is alive. Not all signs are completely solid evidence, though. The find moves the sand, but the sand isn't alive.