I was preparing for the GRE exam, and was wondering what the
difference was between a premise and an assertion. Any example
which highlights the difference would be immensely helpful
(something I haven't been able to find online). An assertion is
a statement of a fact or belief, while a premise is a statement
from which another is inferred. For example, if we use the
assumption X to conclude Y, then the premise X has been used to
make the assertion Y. Yes, they do seem very similar in that
they are both related to 'assumption' or 'axiom' in an argument.
You can read their dictionary definitions which will tell you
what each are but it doesn't tel you what is important in the
comparison. A 'premise' is an assumption that is usually
discovered, implicitly understood, or passively waiting
(possibly even hiding), found by working backwards in an
argument to a starting point. An 'assertion' is an actively
stated starting point, one made to eliminate there possibilities
in forming an argument. Both, like 'assumptio