CATEGORICAL

The Logic of Arguments

SYLLOGISMS

ARGUMENT AND
SYLLOGISMS

ARGUMENT
Contains a minimum of two
(2) statements:
Premise
Conclusion

ARGUMENT
Instances
of
reasoning
concerning
which
it
is
claimed
that
some
statement(s)
provides
evidence for truth of some
other statement

ARGUMENT:
DEDUC
INDUC
FUNDAMENTAL TYPES

TIVE
Conclusion

TIVE
Conclusion

from a
universalprop to
particularGeneral to
prop
Specific/
Particular

from a
particular
instance to
a universalSpecific/
prop
Particular to
General

SYLLOGISM
Deductive argument:
premises & 1 conclusion
Includes
propositions

categorical

- must be in standard-form

Connected thought

SYLLOGISM:
STANDARD
MajorFORM

Minor
Premise
Conclusio
Premise
n

SYLLOGISM:
All persons are
All
STANDARD
persons are intellectual
FORM
intellectual beings.
Plato
is
a
beings.
Plato
is
a
person.
person.
Therefore,
Plato is an
is
Therefore, Plato
intellectual
being.
intellectual
being.

Major
Premise
Minor
Premise

an

Conclusio
n

SYLLOGISM: TERMS

Major
Minor
Term
(P)
Middle
Term
(S)
Term (M)

SYLLOGISM: TERMS

ll wide readers are knowledgeabl

lex is a wide reader.
ence, Alex is knowledgeable.

SYLLOGISM: TERMS

ll wide readers are knowledgeabl

lex is a wide reader.
knowledge
ence, Alex is knowledgeable.
able
able

Major Term
(P)
The predicate of the conclusion

Predicate of the major premis

SYLLOGISM: TERMS

ll wide readers are knowledgeabl

Ale
lex is a wide reader.
x
ence, Alex is knowledgeable.

Minor Term
(S)
The subject of the conclusion =

Subject of the minor premis

SYLLOGISM: TERMS

ll wide readers are knowledgeabl

wide
lex is a wide
reader.
reader
ence, Alex is knowledgeable.

Middle Term
(M)
Found in both premises

but not in the conclusio

VALIDITY AND
SOUNDNESS

CONTE
NT
Subject
matter of
an
argument

Structure/
pattern of
an
argument

FORM

VALIDITY
Analyse the form of the
argument
Concerns only the form, not

the content

Only deductive arguments

may be valid/invalid

SOUNDNESS
Only attributed to
deductive arguments
Valid argument that
contain only true premises

Concerns both content and

form

FIGURES OF
CATEGORICAL
SYLLOGISMS

FIRST FIGURE: SUBPRE

M
P
S M
:.S P

M is subject of the major

premise, and predicate of
the minor premise

SECOND FIGURE:
PRE-PRE
P M
S M
:.S P

M is predicate of the major

premise, and predicate of
the minor premise

THIRD FIGURE: SUBSUB

M
P
M S
:.S P

M is subject of the major

premise, and subject of the
minor premise

FOURTH FIGURE:
PRE-SUB
P M
M S
:.S P

M is predicate of the major

premise, and subject of the
minor premise

MOODS OF
CATEGORICAL
SYLLOGISMS

MOODS
Refers
to
the
different
arrangements of four types of
propositions
(A,
E,
I,
O)
Only 19 follow the rules of
correct deduction (VALID)
19
moods
from
mnemonic verses

the

FIRST FIGURE

BARBA
RA
CELAR
ENT
DARII
FERIO

SECOND FIGURE

CESAR
E
CAMES
TRES
FESTIN
O
BAROC
O

THIRD FIGURE

DARAP
TI
DISAMI
S
DATISI

FELAP
TON
BOCAR
DO
FERISO
N

FOURTH FIGURE

CAMEN FESAP
ES
O
DIMARI
FRESIS
S BRAMA
ON
NTIP

Some deadly weapons are

grenades;
But, all grenades are
explosives;
Therefore, some explosives are
Identify the figure (position of
1
deadly
weapons.
middle term)
2 Identify the prop of each
premise
3 Look for the mood
(arrangement of premises)