Syllogism

Syllogism
Syllogism Syl"lo*gism, n. [OE. silogisme, OF. silogime, sillogisme, F. syllogisme, L. syllogismus, Gr. syllogismo`s a reckoning all together, a reasoning, syllogism, fr. syllogi`zesqai to reckon all together, to bring at once before the mind, to infer, conclude; sy`n with, together + logi`zesqai to reckon, to conclude by reasoning. See {Syn-}, and {Logistic}, {Logic}.] (Logic) The regular logical form of every argument, consisting of three propositions, of which the first two are called the premises, and the last, the conclusion. The conclusion necessarily follows from the premises; so that, if these are true, the conclusion must be true, and the argument amounts to demonstration;

Note: as in the following example: [1913 Webster] Every virtue is laudable; Kindness is a virtue; Therefore kindness is laudable. [1913 Webster] These propositions are denominated respectively the major premise, the minor premise, and the conclusion. [1913 Webster]

Note: If the premises are not true and the syllogism is regular, the reasoning is valid, and the conclusion, whether true or false, is correctly derived. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • syllogism — late 14c., from O.Fr. silogisme a syllogism, from L. syllogismus, from Gk. syllogismos a syllogism, originally inference, conclusion, computation, calculation, from syllogizesthai bring together, premise, conclude, lit. think together, from syn… …   Etymology dictionary

  • syllogism — index corollary Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • syllogism — ► NOUN ▪ a form of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn from two given or assumed propositions (premises); a common or middle term is present in the two premises but not in the conclusion, which may be invalid (e.g. all dogs are animals; all… …   English terms dictionary

  • syllogism — [sil′ə jiz΄əm] n. [ME silogisme < MFr < L syllogismus < Gr syllogismos, a reckoning together < syllogizesthai, to reckon together, sum up < syn , together + logizesthai, to reason < logos, word: see LOGIC] 1. an argument or form …   English World dictionary

  • Syllogism — A syllogism (Greek: συλλογισμός – syllogismos – conclusion, inference ) is a kind of logical argument in which one proposition (the conclusion) is inferred from two or more others (the premises) of a certain form. In antiquity, there were… …   Wikipedia

  • syllogism — A syllogism (properly, a categorical syllogism) is the inference of one proposition from two premises. An example is: all horses have tails; all things with tails are four legged; so all horses are four legged. Each premise has one term in common …   Philosophy dictionary

  • syllogism — /sil euh jiz euhm/, n. 1. Logic. an argument the conclusion of which is supported by two premises, of which one (major premise) contains the term (major term) that is the predicate of the conclusion, and the other (minor premise) contains the… …   Universalium

  • SYLLOGISM —    the TRADITIONAL term used in DEDUCTIVE LOGIC for an argument with a specific structure that includes two PROPOSITIONS and a conclusion. On the basis of its formal structure a syllogism may be judged logically VALID. If the propositions are… …   Concise dictionary of Religion

  • syllogism — /ˈsɪlədʒɪzəm / (say siluhjizuhm) noun 1. Logic an argument with two premises and a conclusion. Both the premises of a categorical syllogism are categorical propositions, containing just three distinct terms between them, e.g. all men are mortal… …  

  • syllogism — UK [ˈsɪləˌdʒɪz(ə)m] / US [ˈsɪləˌdʒɪzəm] noun [countable] Word forms syllogism : singular syllogism plural syllogisms a statement that consists of three facts, the third of which is proved by the first two …   English dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”