ABSTRACT
Assertions are important to reasoning because they are the vehicles through which we express and share our beliefs. Assertions are also important to reasoning because they are the building blocks of arguments, and a major aspect of reasoning involves the generation and evaluation of arguments. It is important to sound reasoning to distinguish between several types of assertions. Assertions that begin with some are referred to as particular assertions because what is being asserted is being claimed to be true for only some of the members of a class. In everyday speech, some usually conveys the notion of several, or at least more than one. Sometimes the omission of quantifiers from assertions causes no problem, because what is intended is apparent. Assertions are the elements from which arguments, both logical and plausible are made. A basic challenge to effective reasoning is that of evaluating the plausibility of assertions.
