THE OPPOSITIONAL INFERENCE or THE OPPOSITIONAL SQUARE OF PROPOSITION

What is the oppositional inference or the oppositional square of proposition?

- A logical proposition that denotes to understand propositions more deeply and intensely by considering their
opposite forms in reference to their qualities and quantities.
- A method where it is being used to represent propositions using their logical symbols that taken from the
symbols of categorical propositions such as proposition A, I, E, and O in order to manifest their opposite
relationships with other propositions.
- Also called as the opposition of the propositions.
OPPOSITIONAL SQUARE OF THE PROPOSITIONS
UNIVERSAL / SINGULAR UNIVERSAL / SINGULAR

P from positive to negative N

from negative to positive
O E
S G
I A
T T
I I
V from positive to negative V
from negative to positive
E E

PARTICULAR PARTICULAR

TYPES OF OPPOSITIONAL INFERENCE OR THE OPPOSITIONAL SQUARE OF PROPOSITIONS

1. CONTRADICTORY OPPOSITION
o The type of square of opposition that exists between two propositions which differ in both quality and
quantity.
o These oppositional propositions are A to O and vice versa, and E to I and vice versa.
o RULES:
 If one is TRUE, the other is FALSE
 If one is FALSE, the other is TRUE
o EXAMPLES:
 From proposition A (positive statement) to proposition O (negative statement)
Because it is true that all saints are holy
Therefore, it is false that some saints are not holy
 From proposition E (negative statement) to proposition I (positive statement)
Because it is false that all students are not Catholics
Therefore, it is true that some students are Catholics

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2. CONTRARY OPPOSITION
o The type of oppositional square of the proposition that exists between two propositions which differ in
quality but not in quantity.
o These oppositional propositions are Proposition A and Proposition E. They are both universal/singular.
o RULES:
 If one proposition is TRUE, the other proposition is FALSE;
 If one proposition is FALSE, the other proposition is DOUBTFUL.
o EXAMPLES:
 From proposition A (positive statement) to proposition E (negative statement)
Because it is true that every learner of today is an educator of tomorrow,
Therefore, it is false that no learner of today is an educator of tomorrow.
 From proposition E (negative statement) to proposition A (positive statement)
Because it is false that no newspapers are reading materials,
Therefore, it is doubtful that all newspapers are reading materials.

3. SUBCONTRARY
o The type of oppositional square of the proposition that exists between two propositions differs also in
quality but not in quantity.
o These propositions are Proposition I and Proposition O. They are both particular.
o RULES:
 If one proposition is FALSE, the other proposition is TRUE;
 If one proposition is TRUE, the other proposition is DOUBTFUL.
o EXAMPLES:
 From proposition I (positive statement) to proposition O (negative statement)
Because it is false that some reading material is a newspaper,
Therefore, it is true that some reading materials are not newspaper
 From proposition O (negative statement) to proposition I (positive statement)
Because it is true that some lawyers are not honest,
Therefore, it is doubtful that some lawyer is honest.

4. SUBALTERN
o The type of oppositional square that exists between two propositions that differs in quantity like
universal/singular and particular but not in quality.
o These propositions are Propositions A and I in positive statement and Propositions E and O in negative
statement.
o RULES:
 Proposition A (positive statement, universal/singular) and proposition I (positive statement,
particular)
 If the universal is TRUE, the particular is also TRUE.
Because it is true that every Filipino is an Asian,
Therefore, it is also true that some Filipinos are Asians.

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  Proposition E (negative statement, universal/singular) and proposition O (negative statement,
particular)
 If the universal is FALSE, the particular is DOUBTFUL.
Because it is false that all Dalmatians are not cats,
Therefore, it is doubtful that some Dalmatians are not cats.

 Proposition I (positive statement, particular) and proposition A (positive statement,

universal/singular)
 If the particular is TRUE, the universal is DOUBTFUL.
Because it is true that some educators are scholars,
Therefore, it is doubtful that all educators are scholars.

 Proposition O (negative statement, particular) and proposition E (negative statement,

universal/singular)
 If the particular is FALSE, the universal is FALSE as well.
Because it is false that plenty of soldiers are not coward,
Therefore, it is also false that no soldiers are coward.

NOTE: If the statement indicated DOUBTFU, it is definitely false.