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Hi all,
I have difficulty deciding if a premise is just that, a premise OR a intermediate conclusion.
For example, I'm going through the manhattan lsat book for review on page 94.
The question is from PT24, S2, Q21.

One of the premises state that laws against gambling can't be enforced. I take that as a premise because that sounds like a fact.

Then, the next premise states "Ineffective laws should not be laws."
It concludes that "there shoudl be no laws against gambling."

Now, the second premise "Ineffective laws should not be laws." sounds like an intermediate conclusion for me, because it is an opinion. in my mind, a fact tends to be a premise and if theres an opinion, it's somesort of conclusion that is vulenerable to logical faults.
Manhattan Lsat lists it as a complementary premise? Why? What decides something is just another premise or a intermidate conclusion?

"Sounds like a fact" and "sounds like an opinion" are not valid reasons for determining whether a statement functions as a premise or a conclusion.

There should be no gambling laws.

Why?

Because ineffective laws should not be laws.
+
Gambling laws cannot be enforced.

Assumption: laws that cannot be enforced are not effective.


Try asking "why?" After a statement you are not sure about. That can help you understand the structure of the argument.

In this case, there is no answer to "why should ineffective laws not be laws?" So, it is not supported by anything. Hence, not a conclusion.

Wrong Marx wrote:"Sounds like a fact" and "sounds like an opinion" are not valid reasons for determining whether a statement functions as a premise or a conclusion.

There should be no gambling laws.

Why?

Because ineffective laws should not be laws.
+
Gambling laws cannot be enforced.

Assumption: laws that cannot be enforced are not effective.


Try asking "why?" After a statement you are not sure about. That can help you understand the structure of the argument.

In this case, there is no anser to "why should ineffective laws not be laws?" So, it is not supported by anything. Hence, not a conclusion.

Thanks you

By the way, i'm open to more strategies/thinking processes in order to figure out what's a premise or intermediate conclusion

Wrong Marx wrote:"Sounds like a fact" and "sounds like an opinion" are not valid reasons for determining whether a statement functions as a premise or a conclusion.

It's not a sole determinative factor, but it's definitely something you can use to help you decide if it's a conclusion or a premise.