Politician: Homelessness is a serious social problem, but further government spending to provide low income housing ...
DalaalFebruary 20, 2020
General principles
Question relating to this explanation: I had not previously comprehended that general principles are not premises. If I am not mistake, I remember in the Main Point question type lesson, the instructor mentioned something about premises being either facts, general rules or principles, or subsidiary conclusions. I realize in this question per se the general principle that homelessness is a serious social problem does not necessarily affect the conclusion, but is this a general rule? How do I differentiate the various roles which a general principle can play in an argument? I ask because I encountered questions where the generalization was the conclusion. So it seems that such statements can play various roles in an argument.
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"So it seems that such statements can play various roles in an argument." You are correct. This is why we don't determine a sentence's role in an argument solely based on what "type" of sentence it is. Don't worry quite so much about determining if a particular statement is a "rule" or "generalization," unless one of those words appears in the answer choices.
Instead, pay more attention to the overall argument structure. Which statement supports which? How do the pieces fit together?
Here is an example in which a principle is a premise.
Premise: Anyone who has told a lie is a bad person. (Principle) Premise: Billy lied to his mom about finishing his homework. Conclusion: Billy is a bad person.
A principle/rule will usually follow that sufficient and necessary format. Told a Lie - - - - - > Bad Person
This is why I wouldn't say that "Homelessness is a serious social problem" counts as a general rule. It simply introduces a problem, for which the politician dismisses a possible solution. But it doesn't really matter what I call it. As long as you see that it is compatible with either accepting or rejecting the conclusion, you can answer this question correctly.
A generalization can be a conclusion or a premise! This is why you have to also consider the relationship of the statement in question to the argument as a whole. Why did the author include each statement?
