What Does syllogistics Mean
The Greek word syllogistikós derived from the Latin syllogistĭcus , which is the closest etymological antecedent of syllogistic . This adjective allows us to qualify what is linked to the syllogism .
Syllogism
The notion of syllogism refers to an argument made up of three propositions . Of these propositions, the third necessarily arises by deduction from the first two.
The complexity of the syllogistic leads to false conclusions
The syllogistic argument , in this context, follow this method . This structure is known as a syllogistic form .
It can be said, therefore, that the syllogistic form contemplates three propositions: two premises and a conclusion , which is deduced from the others. This is the basis of Aristotelian logic , developed by the Greek Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC) and considered the backbone of scientific thought .
The truth
It is important to bear in mind that, although the syllogistic form may be correct from a logical point of view, the veracity of the conclusion is not guaranteed if certain rules of the premises and their terms are not respected. Suppose that a reasoning starts from this premise: "All Argentines are South Americans . " Then it continues with another premise: "There are South Americans who are Brazilians . " Following logic , one could come to the conclusion: "Therefore, there are Brazilians who are Argentines . " In this case, the syllogistic form is fulfilled at a general level, but the conclusion is not true (discounting the possibility that a Brazilian also has Argentine nationality).
Let us now look at a syllogistic argument whose conclusion is true:
Premise No. 1: "Human beings cannot fly"
Premise No. 2: "Eagles fly"
Conclusion: "Therefore, eagles are not human beings"
Elements and structure
So far we have seen the general characteristics of syllogistics and the relationship between the premises. Let's see its elements in a greater degree of detail below. First we have three terms: the subject , the predicate and the middle , which are represented by the letters S , P and M , respectively. Then comes the antecedent , which is made up of two judgments called premises . Finally there is the consequent , which is the conclusion by way of judgment of all the above.
From the point of view of structure, we can group these elements into the following three parts:
* Major premise : it is the judgment that contains the predicate of the conclusion, which is compared with the middle term;
* minor premise : here we have the minor term of the conclusion, which is also compared with the middle;
* consequent : also called conclusion , is the judgment that derives from affirming or denying (joining or separating) the relationship between the subject and the predicate.
There are several key concepts, which are repeated throughout the definition: the judgments , from which the premises arise ; the terms , which after being related constitute the argument .
"Eagles are not human beings"
Properties of the terms
When talking about the terms, we must consider their extension , which refers to an amount . Both the subject and the predicate and the middle term can be taken in their universal extension as in their particular extension . The syllogistics understands this in the following way: the first covers all the individuals to whom the concept can refer; the second, on the other hand, covers a limited group.
Por otro lado tenemos la relación o cualidad que se da entre los términos. Esta puede ser afirmativa (de unión) o negativa (de separación), según se pueda afirmar que S es P o lo contrario, respectivamente. Volviendo a la extensión, debemos señalar que el predicado de una afirmación posee una extensión particular en todos los casos, mientras que el de una negación tiene una universal.