Worksheet: Deriving Assumptions from Deductive Arguments

Although constructing idea plans is challenging at every turn, a step that many people find especially difficult is deriving the major premise or the assumption behind the plan’s reasoning. You have already been asked to derive the assumptions for the plans below. Here are the solutions.

1. The controller is a crook because the controller embezzled company funds.

Assumption: Anyone who embezzled company funds is a crook.

2. Cost containment in medical care will hurt the quality of patient care because cost containment in medical care will cause physicians to perform unnecessary operations.

Assumption: Any financial program that causes physicians to perform unnecessary operations will hurt the quality of medical care

3. The company's reputation for unsafe practices will cause a reduction in product purchases because the company's reputation for unsafe practices will cause customers to boycott its products.

Assumption: Any company reputation that causes customers to boycott a product will reduce product purchases.

4. Establishing quality circles within this division will improve employee performance because establishing these circles will cause employees to perceive that management values their ideas about and participation in the running of the company.

Assumption: Any organizational change that causes employees to perceive that management values their ideas about and participation in the running of the company will improve employee performance.