Cogniotive Psychology: Syllogism

 

History:

•      Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher, was one of the first to discuss syllogisms.

•      Syllogism derives from the Greek word syllogismos, meaning conclusion or inference.

What is syllogism?

A syllogism is a form of deductive reasoning where a conclusion is drawn from two premises. The conclusion is valid only if the premises are true.

Syllogism in cognitive psychology refers to a type of reasoning where a conclusion is drawn from two propositions, known as premises.

Explanation:

A syllogism usually contains a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion that can be logically deduced from the premises. The validity of the conclusion depends on the logical relationship between the premises. Syllogisms are often used in research on reasoning, decision-making, problem-solving, and other cognitive processes.

Syllogisms are arguments about the properties of entities. They consist of 2 premises and a conclusion, which can each be in 1 of 4 "moods": All A are B, Some A are B, No A are B, and Some A are not B.

Example:

Premise 1: All men are mortal.

Premise 2: Socrates is a man.

Conclusion: Therefore, Socrates is mortal.

 

This example shows how syllogisms use deductive reasoning to arrive at a conclusion that is logically valid based on two premises. In this case, the conclusion follows logically from the two premises, which are both assumed to be true.

Components of Syllogism:

1.   Premises:

 Syllogism consists of two premises, which are statements that provide information about the relationship between two concepts. For example, "All mammals are animals" and "All elephants are mammals."

 

2.   Conclusion:

The conclusion is the logical inference drawn from the two premises. In the aforementioned example, the conclusion would be "All elephants are animals."

 

3.   Categorical Propositions:

 Syllogisms are expressed in categorical propositions, which are statements about the relationship between categories or classes. These propositions can be either affirmative (e.g., "All elephants are mammals") or negative (e.g., "No elephants are fish").

Types of syllogism:

•        Conditional syllogism

•        Conditional syllogism

•        Disjunctive syllogism

Catagorical syllogism:

The most commonly used type of syllogisms are the categorical syllogisms. The basic for this syllogism type is if A is a part of C, then B is a part of C (A and B are members of C).

Example:

Major premise:  All men are mortal.

Minor premise:  Socrates is a man.

Conclusion:  Socrates is mortal.

Conditional syllogism:

Conditional syllogisms are better known as hypothetical syllogisms, because the arguments used here are not always valid. The basic of this syllogism type is: if A is true then B is true as well.

Example:

Major premise: Richard likes Germany.

Minor premise: Richard likes all German things.

Conclusion: If Richard likes Germany, then he must drive an Audi.

Disjunctive Syllogism :

These syllogism types do not actually state that a certain premise (major or minor) is correct but is does states that one of the premises is correct.The basic type for this syllogism is: Either A or B is true, but they can’t be true at the same time. 

Example:

Major premise:  Either the meeting is at school or at home.

Minor premise:  The meeting is not at home.

Conclusion:  Therefore the meeting is at school.

Rules of Syllogism:

•        Rule One: There must be three terms: the major premise, the minor premise and the conclusion — no more, no less.

•        Rule Two: The minor premise must be distributed in at least one other premise.

•        Rule Three: Any terms distributed in the conclusion must be distributed in the relevant premise.

•        Rule Four: Do not use two negative premises.

•        Rule Five: If one of the two premises is negative, the conclusion must be negative.

•        Rule Six: From two universal premises, no conclusion may be drawn

Conclusion:

Syllogism is a crucial concept in cognitive psychology that helps in understanding the logical reasoning abilities of individuals. It provides a structured framework to evaluate the validity of arguments and conclusions, which is essential in critical thinking. By understanding the different components of syllogism, one can improve their deductive reasoning skills and make informed decisions based on well-supported arguments.