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Logic Square of Opposition

The Traditional Square of Opposition outlines four types of opposition in propositions: contrary, sub-contrary, sub-alternation, and contradictory. Each type describes relationships between propositions that share the same subject and predicate but differ in quality or quantity, allowing for various logical inferences. The document also highlights the implications of truth and falsehood among these propositions, providing a framework for immediate inferences based on their relationships.

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43 views13 pages

Logic Square of Opposition

The Traditional Square of Opposition outlines four types of opposition in propositions: contrary, sub-contrary, sub-alternation, and contradictory. Each type describes relationships between propositions that share the same subject and predicate but differ in quality or quantity, allowing for various logical inferences. The document also highlights the implications of truth and falsehood among these propositions, providing a framework for immediate inferences based on their relationships.

Uploaded by

markrobertsustiguer2000
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Traditional Square of Opposition

Definition: Same subject terms and


same predicate terms may differ from
each other in quality, quantity or in
both.
The Traditional Square of Opposition

Four kinds of opposition of Proposition


1.Contrary
2.Sub-Contrary
3.Sub-alternation
4.Contradictory
The Traditional Square of Opposition

Four kinds of opposition of Proposition


1. Contrary
Two Universal propositions having the same subject and
same predicate but differing in quality
Example:
All poets are dreamers
No poets are dreamers
Here propositions A & E can not both be true but they can
both be false
The Traditional Square of Opposition

• One difficulty with this Aristotelian account arises if either


the A proposition or the E proposition is necessarily true
proposition that is, if either is a logical or mathematical
truth, such as ‘All squares are rectangles’, or No squares
are circles’. In such case, that the A proposition and the
E proposition are contraries can not be correct, because
a necessarily true proposition can not possibly be false
and so not have a contrary, because two propositions
can only be contraries if they can both be false
propositions that are neither necessarily true nor
necessarily false and said to be contingent.
The Traditional Square of Opposition

2. Sub-Contrary opposition

According to traditional account two particular


proposition (I and O) having the same subject and
same predicate terms but differing in quality are sub-
contraries.
For example,
(I) “Some diamonds are precious tones” and
(II) (O) Some diamonds are not precious stones”, could
both be true but they can not both be false.
The Traditional Square of Opposition

One difficulty arises here too. If either the I or O


proposition is necessarily false ,
For example,
(I) “Some squares are circles”,
(O) “Some squares are not rectangles” it can not
have a sub-contrary because two propositions
that are sub-contraries an both be true. But if
both the I and O propositions are contingent,
they can both be true
The Traditional Square of Opposition

• 3. Subalternation:
• When two propositions have the same subject and the
same predicate terms, and agree in quality but , differ in
quantity,is called subalternation.
• Thus the A proposition “ All spiders are eight-legged
animals” has a corresponding I proposition “Some spiders
are eight-legged animals”. Likewise, the E proposition,
“No whales are fishes” has a corresponding O proposition
“Some whales are not fishes”. This opposition between a
universal and its corresponding particular proposition is
known as subalternation . Here the universal proposition is
called superaltern and the particular is called subaltern.
The Traditional Square of Opposition

• In sub-alternation, the superaltern implies the truth of the


subaltern. But of course the implication does not hold
from the particular to the universal, from the subaltern to
the superaltern.
• For example, “Some animals are cats” it is obvious that
we can not infer that “All animals are cats”, it would be
absurd to infer “Some animals are not cats” (O) “No
animals are cats” .
The Traditional Square of Opposition

• 4. Contradictory Opposition:
• Two standard form categorical propositions that have
same subject and the same predicate terms but differ
from each other in both quality and quantity are called
contradictories.
• Thus the proposition “All judges are lawyers” and the O
proposition “Some judges are not lawyers”
• Similarly the E proposition “No politicians are idealists”
and the I proposition, “ Some politicians are idealists ”
are opposed in both quantity quality, so they are
contradictories.
The Traditional Square of
Opposition
The Traditional Square of Opposition

• A number of very useful immediate inferences are be


readily drawn from the information embedded in the
traditional square of opposition. Here are some
examples:
• On the basis of opposition of propositions, from the truth
or falsehood of any one of the four standard form
categorical propositions, the truth or falsehood of some
or all of the others can be inferres immediately. A
considerable number of immediate inferences are based
on the traditional square of opposition are given below:
The Traditional Square of Opposition

• A is given as true: E is false ; I is true; O is false.


• E is given as true : A is false; I is false; O is true.
• I is given as true : E is false; A and O are undetermined.
• O is given as true : A is false; E and I are undetermined.
The Traditional Square of Opposition

• A is given as false: O is true; E and I are undetermined .


• E is given as false: I is true ; A and O are undetermined.
• I is given as false : A is false; E is true; O is true.
• Ois given as false: A is true; E is false; I is true.

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