Syllogistic Figure: Understanding Logical Structure

Understanding Syllogistic Figures

A syllogistic figure is determined by the position of the major term (predicate of the conclusion) and the minor term (subject of the conclusion) in the two premises of a categorical syllogism.

The Four Figures

The figure is based on where the middle term (the term appearing in both premises but not the conclusion) is located. There are four possible figures:

• Figure 1: Middle term is the subject of the major premise and the predicate of the minor premise (M-P, S-M).
• Figure 2: Middle term is the predicate of both premises (P-M, S-M).
• Figure 3: Middle term is the subject of both premises (M-P, M-S).
• Figure 4: Middle term is the predicate of the major premise and the subject of the minor premise (P-M, M-S).

Importance of Figure

The figure, along with the mood (the types of propositions), dictates whether a syllogism is valid. Different figures have different valid moods. Understanding the figure is essential for analyzing the logical structure of arguments.

Example

Consider the syllogism:

All men are mortal. (Major Premise)
Socrates is a man. (Minor Premise)
Therefore, Socrates is mortal. (Conclusion)

Here, ‘man’ is the middle term. It is the subject of the major premise and the predicate of the minor premise, making this Figure 1.

Validity and Figure

Each figure has specific valid moods. For instance, AAA-1 (Barbara) is a valid mood in Figure 1, while EAE-2 (Cesare) is valid in Figure 2. Incorrectly identifying the figure can lead to incorrect validity judgments.