The Three Syllogistic Figures
Propositions
A sentence, as a proposition, or premise, expresses a judgment, that is, a sentence creates a relationship between a subject and a predicate.
For instance, one kind of proposition is the "universal" judgment, such as "All Shetland ponies are horses":
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Another kind of proposition is the "particular": "Some flowers are red"
Another kind of proposition is the "disjunctive": "A right angle is neither an acute nor an obtuse angle"
Or another kind of disjunctive proposition: "All water is matter, and all earth is matter, but no water is earth"
The syllogistic figures present the possible relationships between two propositions (or premises), which then allows for an inference (a conclusion).
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The First Syllogistic Figure
This figure employs the relationship between the subject of one premise with the predicate of the other
All Shetland Ponies are horses
All horses are animals All Shetland Ponies are animals |
The Second Syllogistic FigureThis figure compares subjects of two premises that each have the same predicate
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The Third Syllogistic FigureThis figure compares predicates of two premises that each have the same subject:
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