In argumentation , an objection is a reason arguing against a premise , argument , or conclusion . Definitions of objection vary in whether an objection is always an argument (or counterargument ) or may include other moves such as questioning.
7-421: An objection to an objection is sometimes known as a rebuttal . An objection can be issued against an argument retroactively from the point of reference of that argument. This form of objection – invented by the presocratic philosopher Parmenides – is commonly referred to as a retroactive refutation . An inference objection is an objection to an argument based not on any of its stated premises, but rather on
14-417: A premise , a main contention or a lemma . Synonyms of counterargument may include rebuttal, reply, counterstatement, counterreason, comeback and response. The attempt to rebut an argument may involve generating a counterargument or finding a counterexample . To speak of counterarguments is not to assume that there are only two sides to a given issue nor that there is only one type of counterargument. For
21-411: A given argument, there are often a large number of counterarguments, some of which are not compatible with each other. A counterargument might seek to cast doubt on facts of one or more of the first argument's premises, to show that the first argument's contention does not follow from its premises in a valid manner, or the counterargument might pay little attention to the premises and common structure of
28-509: A set of true statements. This assumption must also be true in order that the conclusion follow logically from the initial statements. In the example to the left, the objector can't find anything contentious in the stated premises of the argument supporting the conclusion that "There is no danger in NASA's Stardust Mission bringing material from the Wild 2 comet back to Earth", but still disagrees with
35-447: The conclusion. The objection is therefore placed beside the main premise and exactly corresponds to an unstated or 'hidden' co-premise. This is demonstrated by the argument map to the right in which the full pattern of reasoning relating to the contention is set out. Counterargument In reasoning and argument mapping , a counterargument is an objection to an objection. A counterargument can be used to rebut an objection to
42-440: The first argument and simply attempt to demonstrate that the truth of a conclusion is incompatible with that of the first argument. A counterargument can be issued against an argument retroactively from the point of reference of that argument. This form of counterargument — invented by the presocratic philosopher Parmenides – is commonly referred to as a retroactive refutation . In a debate or in speaking contextual evidence,
49-408: The relationship between a premise and main contention. For a given simple argument, if the assumption is made that its premises are correct, fault may be found in the progression from these to the conclusion of the argument. This can often take the form of an unstated co-premise , as in begging the question . In other words, it may be necessary to make an assumption in order to conclude anything from
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