Question

During the opening arguments of a trial, a defense attorney stated, "My client is innocent. The police report states that the crime was committed on November 6 at approximately 10: 15 A.M. in San Diego. I can prove that my client was on vacation in Chicago with his family at this time. A verdict of not guilty is the only possible verdict." Explain whether this is an example of indirect reasoning.

Name: Problem 26, Chapter 5: Geometry
Uploaded: 2021-02-01T13:06:00-08:00
Duration: 1 min 57 s
Channel: Victor Salazar
Description: During the opening arguments of a trial, a defense attorney stated, "My client is innocent. The police report states that the crime was committed on November 6 at approximately 10: 15 A.M. in San Diego. I can prove that my client was on vacation in Chicago with his family at this time. A verdict of not guilty is the only possible verdict." Explain whether this is an example of indirect reasoning.

   During the opening arguments of a trial, a defense attorney stated, "My client is innocent. The police report states that the crime was committed on November 6 at approximately 10: 15 A.M. in San Diego. I can prove that my client was on vacation in Chicago with his family at this time. A verdict of not guilty is the only possible verdict." Explain whether this is an example of indirect reasoning.

Geometry

Cindy J. Boyd, Jerry… 1st Edition

Chapter 5, Problem 26

Instant Answer

Solved by Expert Victor Salazar

02/01/2021

Step 1

Indirect reasoning, also known as proof by contradiction or reductio ad absurdum, is a method of proving a statement by assuming that the opposite of the statement is true and then showing that this assumption leads to an absurdity or contradiction. Show more…

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During the opening arguments of a trial, a defense attorney stated, "My client is innocent. The police report states that the crime was committed on November 6 at approximately 10: 15 A.M. in San Diego. I can prove that my client was on vacation in Chicago with his family at this time. A verdict of not guilty is the only possible verdict." Explain whether this is an example of indirect reasoning.

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Key Concepts

Direct Reasoning

Direct reasoning involves drawing a conclusion through straightforward and explicit evidence that directly supports the claim without requiring inference from the absence or elimination of other possibilities. This method typically presents a clear cause-effect or evidence-to-conclusion relationship, making the connection between the premises and the conclusion immediate and transparent.

Indirect Reasoning

Indirect reasoning is a method of argument where the conclusion is reached not by directly proving it, but by eliminating other possibilities or by showing that denying the conclusion would lead to a contradiction. In the context of logical argumentation, it often involves inferring a conclusion from consequences or from what must be true if an alternative were false, rather than providing a direct link between evidence and claim.

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