How to check if an argument is valid | Psyche Guides

The article explains that an argument is valid when its premises, if true, guarantee that its conclusion is true, and that validity is different from merely making a conclusion likely. It contrasts an everyday inductive argument about people falling after jumping, which is likely but not certain, with an absurd argument about a cream-cheese Moon and history-professor dogs, which is valid because its conclusion must follow from its premises. The article recommends eliminating ambiguities in wording and structure, such as the two meanings of "bank," and imagining possible worlds where the premises hold but the conclusion fails. It also argues that checking validity matters even when a premise seems false, because it helps engage with others' views.