Argument by example
Open-knowledge reference entry
An argument by example (also known as argument from example) is an argument in which a claim is supported by providing examples. Most conclusions drawn in surveys and carefully
controlled experiments are arguments by example and
generalization. Studies that analyze past speeches also draw conclusions by taking specific examples of communication and inferring generalizations from them.
Arguments from example may be difficult to recognize because they can look like mere illustration. For example:
Taxonomists use Latin words to classify various animals into such categories as kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. Thus, some species of bear are Ursus americanus (American black bear), Ursus arctos (brown bear), and Ursus maritimus (polar bear).
Though the above paragraph contains a common conclusion indicator word ("thus"), it nevertheless is merely illustrating a fact of taxonomy. However, this could be made into an argument.
Taxonomists use Latin words to classify various animals so that scientists who speak different languages can communicate discoveries more easily. For example, a French biologist might describe an interesting characteristic of ours blanc to a Greek biologist.
The public source identifies “Argument by example” as open-knowledge reference entry. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Argument, example and Open-knowledge.
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A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Argument by example”, the useful work is to connect “open-knowledge reference entry” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Nov 24, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q4789733. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Argument by example” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.