Majors and Minors (and Middles)
The term that appears in both premises, but not in the conclusion.
What is the Middle term?
Two statements that differ in both quality and quantity.
What are contradictory statements?
The SUBJECT term is DISTRIBUTED in these statements.
What are statements whose quantity is universal (A, E)?
When the conclusion logically follows from the premises.
What is ‘validity’?
The three categories of the rules of validity.
What are Terminological, Quantitative and Qualitative?
The term that is the predicate of the conclusion.
What is the Major term?
Two statements that are both universals, but differ in quality.
What are contrary statements?
The SUBJECT term is UNDISTRIBUTED in these statements.
What are statements whose quantity is particular (I, O)?
All plants are living things
All animals are living things
Therefore, all living things are plants or animals
Breaks validity rule #2: The middle term must not occur in the conclusion. (Terminological)
All mammals have hair
All horses have manes
Therefore, some mammals have hair
Breaks validity rule #1: There must be three and only three terms. (Terminological)
The term that is the subject of the conclusion.
What is the Minor term?
Two statements that have the same quality, but differ in quantity.
What are subalterns?
The PREDICATE term is DISTRIBUTED in these statements.
What are negative propositions (E, O)?
All Challenge 1 students are alive
No porcupines are Challenge 1 students
Therefore, no porcupines are alive
Breaks validity rule #3: If a term is distributed in the conclusion, then it must be distributed in the premises. (Quantitative)
All cannibals are bloodthirsty
Some accountants are not bloodthirsty
Therefore, some accountants are cannibals
Breaks validity rule number 7: If either premise is negative, the conclusion must also be negative. (Qualitative)
The labels (letters) for Major, Minor and Middle terms when marking up a syllogism.
What are P (Major term), S (Minor term) and M (Middle term)?
These statements cannot at the same time be true nor at the same time be false.
The PREDICATE term is UNDISTRIBUTED in these statements.
What are affirmative propositions (A, I)?
All Challenge 1 students are alive.
All porcupines are alive.
Therefore, all porcupines are Challenge 1 students.
Breaks validity rule #4: The middle term must be distributed at least once. (Quantitative)
No CC students are squids
Some politicians are not squids
Therefore, some politicians are not CC students.
Breaks validity rule #5: No conclusion can follow from two negative premises. (Qualitative)
What is the Major premise? What is the Minor premise?
Two statements that are both particular and differ in quality.
What are subcontrary statements?
In this statement, the subject-term is undistributed, but the predicate-term is distributed.
What is the O statement? (Some S is not P)
All men are smelly
All smelly things need deodorant
Therefore, some things that need deodorant are not men
Breaks validity rule #6: If the two premises are affirmative, the conclusion must also be affirmative. (Qualitative)
A valid syllogism.
What is…? (write a valid syllogism)