Argument vs. Subject — What's the Difference?

In logic and philosophy, an argument is a series of statements (in a natural language), called the premises or premisses (both spellings are acceptable), intended to determine the degree of truth of another statement, the conclusion. The logical form of an argument in a natural language can be represented in a symbolic formal language, and independently of natural language formally defined "arguments" can be made in math and computer science.

A person or thing that is being discussed, described, or dealt with

An exchange of diverging or opposite views, typically a heated or angry one

A branch of knowledge studied or taught in a school, college, or university

A reason or set of reasons given in support of an idea, action or theory

A member of a state other than its ruler, especially one owing allegiance to a monarch or other supreme ruler

An independent variable associated with a function or proposition and determining its value. For example, in the expression y = F(x₁, x₂), the arguments of the function F are x₁ and x₂, and the value is y.

A noun or noun phrase functioning as one of the main components of a clause, being the element about which the rest of the clause is predicated.

Any of the noun phrases in a clause that are related directly to the verb, typically the subject, direct object, and indirect object.

A thinking or feeling entity; the conscious mind; the ego, especially as opposed to anything external to the mind.

A summary of the subject matter of a book.

Likely or prone to be affected by (a particular condition or occurrence, typically an unwelcome or unpleasant one)

A discussion in which the parties involved express disagreement with one another; a debate

Dependent or conditional upon

An angry discussion involving disagreement among the participants; a quarrel

Under the authority of

(Archaic) A reason or matter for dispute or contention

Conditionally upon

A course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating truth or falsehood

Cause or force someone or something to undergo (a particular experience or form of treatment, typically an unwelcome or unpleasant one)

A fact or statement put forth as proof or evidence; a reason

Bring (a person or country) under one's control or jurisdiction, typically by using force

A set of statements in which one follows logically as a conclusion from the others.

Being in a position or in circumstances that place one under the power or authority of another or others

A summary or short statement of the plot or subject of a literary work.

Prone; disposed

A topic; a subject

Likely to incur or receive; exposed

(Logic) The minor premise in a syllogism.

Contingent or dependent

The independent variable of a function.

One who is under the rule of another or others, especially one who owes allegiance to a government or ruler.

The angle of a complex number measured from the positive horizontal axis.

One concerning which something is said or done; a person or thing being discussed or dealt with

(Computers) A value used to evaluate a procedure or subroutine.

Something that is treated or indicated in a work of art.

(Linguistics) A word, phrase, or clause in a semantic relation with a word or phrase and that helps complete the meaning of that word or phrase, such as a noun phrase that is the object of a verb. The clause that we go is an argument of the verb suggest in the sentence I suggest that we go.

(Music) A theme of a composition, especially a fugue.

A fact or statement used to support a proposition; a reason.

A course or area of study

A series of propositions organized so that the final proposition is a conclusion which is intended to follow logically from the preceding propositions, which function as premises.

A basis for action; a cause.

(countable) A process of reasoning; argumentation.

One that experiences or is subjected to something

(countable) An abstract or summary of the content of a literary work such as a book, a poem or a major section such as a chapter, included in the work before the content itself; (figuratively) the contents themselves.

A person or animal that is the object of medical or scientific study

(countable) A verbal dispute; a quarrel.

A corpse intended for anatomical study and dissection.

Any dispute, altercation, or collision.

One who is under surveillance

Any of the phrases that bears a syntactic connection to the verb of a clause.

(Grammar) The noun, noun phrase, or pronoun in a sentence or clause that denotes the doer of the action or what is described by the predicate.

The independent variable of a function.

(Logic) The term of a proposition about which something is affirmed or denied.

The phase of a complex number.

The mind or thinking part as distinguished from the object of thought.

A quantity on which the calculation of another quantity depends.

A being that undergoes personal conscious or unconscious experience of itself and of the world.

A value, or a reference to a value, passed to a function.

The essential nature or substance of something as distinguished from its attributes.

A parameter at a function call; an actual parameter, as opposed to a formal parameter.

To cause to experience, undergo, or be acted upon

A matter in question; a business in hand.

To subjugate; subdue.

The subject matter of an artistic representation, discourse, or writing; a theme or topic.

To submit to the authority of

Evidence, proof; (countable) an item of such evidence or proof.

Likely to be affected by or to experience something.

To put forward as an argument; to argue.

Conditional upon something; used with to.

To adduce evidence, to provide proof.

Placed or situated under; lying below, or in a lower situation.

Proof; evidence.

Placed under the power of another; owing allegiance to a particular sovereign or state.

A reason or reasons offered in proof, to induce belief, or convince the mind; reasoning expressed in words; as, an argument about, concerning, or regarding a proposition, for or in favor of it, or against it.

(grammar) In a clause: the word or word group (usually a noun phrase) about whom the statement is made. In active clauses with verbs denoting an action, the subject and the actor are usually the same.

A process of reasoning, or a controversy made up of rational proofs; argumentation; discussion; disputation.

An actor; one who takes action.

The subject matter of a discourse, writing, or artistic representation; theme or topic; also, an abstract or summary, as of the contents of a book, chapter, poem.

The main topic of a paper, work of art, discussion, field of study, etc.

Matter for question; business in hand.

A particular area of study.

The quantity on which another quantity in a table depends; as, the altitude is the argument of the refraction.

A citizen in a monarchy.

The independent variable upon whose value that of a function depends.

A person ruled over by another, especially a monarch or state authority.

To make an argument; to argue.

(music) The main theme or melody, especially in a fugue.

A fact or assertion offered as evidence that something is true;

A human, animal or an inanimate object that is being examined, treated, analysed, etc.

A contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement;

(philosophy) A being that has subjective experiences, subjective consciousness, or a relationship with another entity.

A discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal;

(logic) That of which something is stated.

A summary of the subject or plot of a literary work or play or movie;

(math) The variable in terms of which an expression is defined.

A variable in a logical or mathematical expression whose value determines the dependent variable; if f(x)=y, x is the independent variable

To cause (someone or something) to undergo a particular experience, especially one that is unpleasant or unwanted.

(transitive) To make subordinate or subservient; to subdue or enslave.

Placed or situated under; lying below, or in a lower situation.

Placed under the power of another; specifically (International Law), owing allegiance to a particular sovereign or state; as, Jamaica is subject to Great Britain.

Exposed; liable; prone; disposed; as, a country subject to extreme heat; men subject to temptation.

Obedient; submissive.

That which is placed under the authority, dominion, control, or influence of something else.

Specifically: One who is under the authority of a ruler and is governed by his laws; one who owes allegiance to a sovereign or a sovereign state; as, a subject of Queen Victoria; a British subject; a subject of the United States.

That which is subjected, or submitted to, any physical operation or process; specifically (Anat.), a dead body used for the purpose of dissection.

That which is brought under thought or examination; that which is taken up for discussion, or concerning which anything is said or done.

The person who is treated of; the hero of a piece; the chief character.

That of which anything is affirmed or predicated; the theme of a proposition or discourse; that which is spoken of; as, the nominative case is the subject of the verb.

That in which any quality, attribute, or relation, whether spiritual or material, inheres, or to which any of these appertain; substance; substratum.

The principal theme, or leading thought or phrase, on which a composition or a movement is based.

The incident, scene, figure, group, etc., which it is the aim of the artist to represent.

To bring under control, power, or dominion; to make subject; to subordinate; to subdue.

To expose; to make obnoxious or liable; as, credulity subjects a person to impositions.

To submit; to make accountable.

To make subservient.

To cause to undergo; as, to subject a substance to a white heat; to subject a person to a rigid test.

The subject matter of a conversation or discussion;

Some situation or event that is thought about;

A branch of knowledge;

Something (a person or object or scene) selected by an artist or photographer for graphic representation;

A person who is subjected to experimental or other observational procedures; someone who is an object of investigation;

A person who owes allegiance to that nation;

(grammar) one of the two main constituents of a sentence; the grammatical constituent about which something is predicated

(logic) the first term of a proposition

Cause to experience or suffer or make liable or vulnerable to;

Make accountable for;

Make subservient; force to submit or subdue

Refer for judgment or consideration;

Not exempt from tax;

Possibly accepting or permitting;

Being under the power or sovereignty of another or others;