In logic, a deductive argument is valid if and only if its form makes it impossible for all of its premises to be true while its conclusion is false. In other words, if the premises were true, the conclusion would have to be true as well.
Validity concerns the structure of the reasoning, not whether the premises are actually true. For example, “Elizabeth owns either a Honda or a Saturn; she does not own a Honda; therefore she owns a Saturn” is valid. An argument that is valid and also has all true premises is called sound.
Source: Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Validity and Soundness”
Image: Bust of Aristotle, Roman copy after Lysippos, Palazzo Altemps, Rome, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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