Defining Terms Flashcards
Logic
The science and art of reasoning well.
3 Laws of Thought:
The Law of Excluded Middle
Any statement is either true or false.
3 Laws of Thought:
The Law of Identity
If a statement is true, then it is true.
3 Laws of Thought:
The Law of Noncontradiction
A statement cannot be both true and false.
Formal Logic (Hint: “Proper”)
Deals with the proper modes of reasoning.
Informal Logic (Hint: British slang)
Deals with operations of thinking that are indirectly related to reasoning.
Induction
Hint: Other detectives
Reasoning with probability from examples or experience to general rules.
Deduction
Hint: Sherlock Holmes
Reasoning with certainty from premises to conclusions and decides wether they are valid or invalid.
Reasoning
Hint: forming ___________ from _____ or ________
the process of forming conclusions, judgments, or inferences from facts or premises.
Term
Hint: Perm
A concept that is expressed precisely in words.
Definition
Hint: Meaning
A statement that gives the meaning of a term.
What are Five Types of Definitions?
(Hint: LPSTP [pronounced “Lipstip”]
Lexical, premising, stimulative, theoretical, persuasive.
Genus of a Term
Hint: Genus - Genesis - before the world - abstract
A term that is more general, broad, or abstract than the original term and includes it.
Species of a Term
Hint: Specific
A term that is more specific, narrow, or concrete than the original term and is included by it.
Extension of a Term
Hint: One
The sum of all the individual objects described by it.
Intension of a Term
Hint: Common
The sum of all the common attributes denoted by the term.
What are Three Methods for Defining?
Hint: SEG
Defining by synonym, defining by example, and defining by genus and difference.
What are the Rules for Defining by Genus and Difference?
Hint: SEA, NC, NBN, NUF, SP, SPS
A definition should:
state the essential attributes of the term,
it should not be circular,
it should not be too broad nor too narrow,
it should not be unclear or figurative,
it should be stated positively, if possible,
it should be of the same part of speech as the term.
Statement
Hint: Excluded Middle
A sentence that is either true or false.
Self-Supporting Statement
Hint: it supports itself
A statement whose truth value can be determined from the statement itself.
Supported Statement (Hint: not self supported)
A statement whose truth value depends on evidence or information from outside itself.
What are the Four Relationships between Statements?
Hint: CiLEi [pronounced kill-eye
Consistency, implication, logical equivalence, and independence.
What are 3 types of disagreements?
Hint: RAV
Real disagreements, apparent disagreements, and verbal disagreements.
How do you translate a statement into standard categorical form?
(Hint: 1. 👀✍️S 2. 🤴🏻👸🏻V 3. ✍️N)
- Identify and write down the entire subject
- Choose the proper “to be” verb
- Rewrite the entire predicate as a predicate nominative (i.e., a noun)
Subject
The term being described, or about which something is asserted.
Predicate
The term that describes or asserts something about the subject.
Quantity of a Statement
The scope of its claim about the extension of the subject: universal (entire extension) or particular (partial).
Quality of a Statement
The positive or negative nature of its claim about the subject: affirmative (asserts something) or negative (denies something).
Square of Opposition
A diagram of the basic relationships between categorical statements with the same subject and predicate.
Two statements are in contradiction if?
If and only if they always have opposite truth values.
Two statements are contrary if?
If and only if they can both be false but cannot both be true.
Two statements are subcontraries if?
If and only if both can be true but both cannot be false.
Subimplication
The relationship between a universal and particular statement of the same quality, in which the truth of the universal necessitates the truth of the particular.
Superimplication
The relationship between a universal and particular statement of the same quality, in which the falsity of the particular necessitates the falsity of the universal.
Argument
A set of statements, one of which appears to be implied or supported by the others.
Conclusion and Premises
The statement that appears to be implied by the other statements in the argument, which are called premises
Syllogism
A deductive argument with two premises and three terms.
Categorical Syllogism
A syllogism consisting of three statements in categorical form.
Major Term of a syllogism
The predicate of the conclusion and is used in one premise.
Minor Term of a syllogism
The subject of the conclusion and is used in the other premise.
Middle Term of a syllogism
Found once in each premise.
Major Premise of a syllogism
The premise containing the major term.
Minor Premise of a syllogism
Contains the minor term.
Schema of a syllogism
A representation of it, having statements in standard order with standard abbreviations of its terms.
Mood of a syllogism
A three-letter description of the types of categorical statements it contains when arranged in standard order.
Figure of a syllogism
A number from 1 to 4 identifying the placement of its middle term.
A syllogism is valid if
If and only if the premises imply the conclusion.
Sound Syllogism
A syllogism that is valid and has true premises.
Counterexample
A syllogism of the same form as the original, but with obviously true premises and an obviously false conclusion, in order to show the original to be invalid
Distributed Term
A term that, within a statement, refers to all members of its category.
How to test syllogisms by rules
