Page 110 - TX_Marketing 2_M1_v2

Which of the two examples below is a sound, logical deduction and which of the two

examples below is not?

Example #1:

Premises/Inartistic Information: Fish have gills. Fish live in water. "Sushi," the little
creature swimming in this bowl, is living in water and has gills.

Conclusion/Artistic Information: "Sushi" is a fish.

Example #2:

Premises/Inartistic Information: Clouds are white. Clouds are in the sky.

Conclusion/Artistic Information: The sky is blue.

Example #1 is a sound and logical deduction; Example #2 is not. In order for a

conclusion to be a logical deduction, it must be supported by the information given.
While it is probably "true" that the sky is blue, the premises offered here do not

support that claim. Saying that the clouds are white and that clouds are in the sky do

not help one realize that the sky is blue—despite their potential "trueness." The
evidence is irrelevant information and the conclusion an unfounded claim. On the

other hand, it might be difficult to know if it is in fact "true" that Sushi is a fish. But

the premises from which we have to work with here could lead one to logically
conclude that Sushi is a fish. We have three observations:

1. Fish have gills.
2. Fish live in water.

3. The creature "Sushi" lives in water and has gills.

From this information one could logically conclude that Sushi is a fish. Now, it might

be that creatures besides fish have gills and that creatures besides fish live in the

water. In real life, we would probably want to consider the validity of the premises
and whether or not the premises address defining characteristics of fish; however,

given what we have here, it is a reasonable conclusion.

TX Marketing II: Negotiation Techniques 109