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A '''premise''' in debate or logic means the proposition from which a conclusion is drawn.  The proposition (the '''premise''') can be either proved or supposed.  It is needed in order to apply logic and draw the desired conclusion.   

A '''premise''' in debate or logic means the proposition from which a conclusion is drawn.  The proposition (the '''premise''') can be either proved or supposed.  It is needed in order to apply logic and draw the desired conclusion.   

A common flaw in reasoning is to apply correct logic to a faulty '''premise''', as in "if embryonic [[stem cell]] research will save lives, then we should support it!"  The '''premise''' of embryonic [[stem cell]] research saving lives is unproven and unjustified as a supposition, as all research has shown it to be essentially worthless.

A common flaw in reasoning is to apply correct logic to a faulty '''premise''', as in "if embryonic [[stem cell]] research will save lives, then we should support it!"  The '''premise''' of embryonic [[stem cell]] research saving lives is unproven and unjustified as a supposition, as all research has shown it to be essentially worthless. Note that statements of this sort ("if A, then B") require a correct premise, since no conclusions can be drawn from a false one - only propositions that take the more exclusive form of "only if A, then B" directly couple the truth value of the [[consequent]] to that of the [[antecedent]] in order to present a dichotomous choice.  

The term the '''premises''' also has a legal and popular meaning, to include both land and buildings together as property, as in "he was on the '''premises''' at the time."

The term the '''premises''' also has a legal and popular meaning, to include both land and buildings together as property, as in "he was on the '''premises''' at the time."