por The particular and universal propositions are the main classification of propositional categories. They were proposed by Aristotle and are part of the study of logic.
Aristotelian logic defines a proposition as a sentence that affirms or denies something. That is to say, it is argumentative and absolute in tone. Categorical propositions are those in which it is affirmed or denied that a part (or a whole) is something. Depending on their features they are universal or particular.
An example of a particular proposition would be “Some countries have coasts”, while a universal proposition would be “Living beings are mortal”.
Aristotelian propositions
It was Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC) who proposed categorical propositions as a whole. They were established as an initial part of the structure of the logic of the spoken language.
The theory of propositions explains that its objective is to indicate whether a subject is or is not part of a predicate.
universal propositions
The universal ones are those that refer to the complete group of the subject. It does not speak of a specific element, but of all.
For example, the sentence «all dogs bark» is a universal proposition. Gives the same trait (barking) to all members of that group (dogs).
«Humans are mammals» is also another example of a universal proposition. The subject is “humans” and the predicate is “they are mammals”.
particular propositions
The particular propositions, contrary to the previous ones, refer to a specific piece of a group.
The proposition «some birds fly» is particular, since it refers to some elements of the entire group.
The same happens with the sentence “some people are blondes”. In this case, «some people» represents the subject and «are blondes» is the predicate.
The 4 main propositional forms
Whether universal or particular, all propositions can be affirmative or negative.
affirmative. The affirmatives are those that confirm the affirmation that is made. That is, they positively support the predicate of the sentence. An example of a universal affirmative proposition is «all cats meow.» In this it is affirmed positively that the whole group of the subject performs the action of the predicate.
An affirmative particular proposition is «some cats are white.» This does not include the entire group within the predicate, but only some elements of it.
negative. Meanwhile, negative propositions deny the veracity of the statement. The sentence «no bird has plumage» is a negative universal proposition. This affirms the negation of the predicate in the whole group to which it refers.
While a sentence with the structure of «some birds do not fly» is a negative particular proposition. This denies the membership of a part of the group to the predicate.
Based on this, Aristotle determined that there are 4 possible forms of categorical propositions. He thus generated a classification to study them in detail.
Form A: Affirmative Universal Propositions
Every subject is predicate. For example: all planets are round.
Form E: Negative Universal Propositions
No subject is predicate. For example: no planet is flat.
Form I: Affirmative Particular Propositions
Some subject is predicate. For example: some doors are made of wood.
Form O: Negative particular propositions
Some subject is not predicate. For example: some doors are not made of metal.
Exercises
Find out to which of the four possible forms of categorical propositions the following arguments belong.
– “All Europeans are human”
[toggle_button title =”Respuesta”]It is a universal affirmative proposition, since the subject as everything is predicate.[/toggle_button]
– “No mammal is immortal”
[toggle_button title =”Respuesta”]It is a negative universal proposition, since the subject as everything is not predicate.[/toggle_button]
– “Some cars are electric”
[toggle_button title =”Respuesta”]It is an affirmative particular proposition, since the subject is predicate.[/toggle_button]
– “Some cars do not have five doors”
[toggle_button title =”Respuesta”]It is a negative particular proposition, since the subject is not a predicate..[/toggle_button]
References
Categorical propositions. (2011) philosophypages.com
Classification of propositions. (2013) expresionoralyescrita1.files.wordpress.com
Preliminaries on the proposals. matematexx.files.wordpress.com
Philosophy 103: Introduction to logic Venn diagrams of standard form categorical propositions. (2004) philosophy.lander.edu
Categorical propositions. (2017) britannica.com
Categorical propositions. (2017) newworldencyclopedia.org