An argument has parts. The conclusion is the part being supported, the statement the arguer wants you to accept. It is not necessarily the last sentence, though it often is. It is the claim that the premises are supposed to justify. Identifying the conclusion is the first step in evaluating an argument. Once you know what is being claimed, you can ask whether the reasons given actually support it.

Conclusions can be stated or implied. In a syllogism, the conclusion follows necessarily from the premises. In an inductive argument, it follows with probability. In an explanation, the conclusion is assumed and the premises show why it is the case. Philosophers distinguish the conclusion of an argument from the conclusion of an inquiry. The first is a proposition. The second is a decision, a judgment, or a course of action. A conclusion can be true or false, well-supported or poorly supported. It can also be provisional, subject to revision as new evidence arrives.

How to find a conclusion

• Ask what the point is. What is the arguer trying to establish?
• Look for indicator words. Therefore, thus, hence, so.
• Test the reverse. If you swap the conclusion with a premise, does the argument still make sense?

A conclusion is not a summary. It is a claim that depends on reasons.