PHI 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Syllogism, Deductive Reasoning, Venn Diagram

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHI 1101
• Professor: Mark Brown

Document Summary

A special type of deductive argument is the argument known as a categorical syllogism. A categorical syllogism is a three line argument (two premises and a conclusion) in which all three lines are categorical statements. In categorical reasoning the statements, or claims, of interest are categorical statements. Categorical statements make simple assertions about categories, or classes, of things. For example: all cows are herbivores. ", no gardeners are plumbers. ", some business people are cheaters. ", some business people are not moral. ", four standard forms of categorical statements: All s are p. (all cats are carnivores. ) No s are p. (no cats are carnivores. ) Some s are p. (some cats are carnivores. ) Some s are not p. (some cats are not carnivores. ) Examples of universal categorical statements: all students are trouble-makers. ", no a-students are slackers. ". Examples of particular categorical statements: some people are liars. ".