FORMAL LOGIC OR

REASONING
GROUP 3
1.1 DEDUCTIVE REASONING
AND SYLLOGISM
 DEDUCTIVE REASONING
Deductive reasoning, also "top-down logic", is the process
of reasoning from one or more statements (premises) to reach
a logically certain conclusion. A conclusion is reached reductively by
applying general rules which hold over the entirety of a closed domain
of discourse, narrowing the range under consideration until only the
conclusion(s) is left.
1. All accused are presumed innocent.

2. Mr. Dela Paz is accused of murder.

3. Ergo, Mr. Dela Paz is presumed innocent.

 SYLLOGISM
A syllogism is a kind of logical argument that applies deductive

reasoning to arrive at a conclusion based on two or

more propositions that are asserted or assumed to be true.

Defined as the combination of a general statement (the major premise)

and a specific statement (the minor premise), a conclusion is deduced.

Syllogistic arguments are usually represented in a three-line form.

• A law is unconstitutional if it impacts the zone of privacy
created by the Bill of Rights.

• The law banning contraceptives impacts the zone of privacy

created by the Bill of Rights.

• Therefore, the law banning contraceptives is unconstitutional.

1.2 CATEGORICAL
SYLLOGISM
 CATEGORICAL SYLLOGISM
Categorical syllogisms are sets of three categorical propositions. The first two
are given and presumed to be true. These first two categorical propositions
are called premises. The third categorical proposition is the conclusion. 
A categorical syllogism consists of three parts:
• Major premise
• Minor premise
• Conclusion
 PARTS
M P
1. All accused are presumed innocent.

S M
2. Mr. Dela Paz is accused of murder.
S P
3. Ergo, Mr. Dela Paz is presumed innocent.
 GENERAL AXIOMS OF
SYLLOGISM
• PRINCIPLE OF RECIPROCAL INDENTITY
If two terms agree (or are identical) with a third term, then they are identical with each
other.

M is P.
S is M.
∴ S is P.
 GENERAL AXIOMS OF
SYLLOGISM
• PRINCIPLE OF RECIPROCAL NON-IDENTITY
If two terms, one of which is identical with a third, but the other of which is not, then
they are not identical with each other.

P is M.
S is not M.
∴ S is not P.
 GENERAL AXIOMS OF
SYLLOGISM
• Dictum de Omni (The Law of All)
What is affirmed of a logical class may also be affirmed of its logical member.

S
 GENERAL AXIOMS OF
SYLLOGISM
• Dictum de Nullo (The Law of None)
What is denied of a logical class is also denied of its logical member.

What is denied universally of a term is also denied of each of all referents of that term.

M S
 EIGHT GENERAL SYLLOGISTIC
RULES
I. RULES ON THE TERMS

1. There must be only three terms in the syllogism.

2. Neither the major nor the minor term may be distributed in the
conclusion, if it is undistributed in the premises.
3. The middle term must not appear in the conclusion.
4. The middle term must be distributed at least once in the premises.
 EIGHT GENERAL SYLLOGISTIC
RULES
II. RULES ON THE PREMISES

5. Only an affirmative conclusion can be drawn from two affirmative

premises.
6. No conclusion can be drawn from two negative premises.
7. f one premise is particular, the conclusion must also be particular; if one
premise is negative, the conclusion must be negative.
8. No conclusion can be drawn from two particular premises.
 FALLACIES

• FALLACY OF FOUR TERMS

• FALLACY OF AMBIGIOUS MIDDLE
• FALLACY OF ILLICIT PROCESS
• FALLACY OF ILLICIT MAJOR
• FALLACY OF ILLICIT MINOR
• FALLACY OF UNDISTRIBUTED MIDDLE
• FALLACY OF TWO NEGATIVES