The essential components of a logical argument are the premise, the inference, and the conclusion.
The premise serves as the foundation of the argument and consists of statements or assumptions that are accepted without questioning for the sake of the argument.
The inference is a set of statements derived from the premise and is reducible back to the premise. It shows the logical reasoning or steps taken to reach the conclusion.
The conclusion is the final statement of the argument and is the main focus or goal of the argument. It is like the result of an experiment or the desired outcome.
To construct a logical argument, you start with the premise or assumptions, then make inferences based on those premises, and finally reach a conclusion that is supported by the premises and inferences made.
It is important to note that the premise of one argument could be the conclusion of another argument, and that arguments should ideally consist of constative statements (statements of fact) or normative statements (statements of value) that have been supported or made acceptable by previous arguments or the provision of contexts.
Without proper support and logical reasoning, an argument can become weak or an assertion, where unsupported normative statements are used to support the conclusion, which can lead to a flawed argument.
Overall, logical arguments aim to present a series of interconnected statements that lead to a meaningful and well-supported conclusion.