Skip to content

Chapter III

Text size

_REPRESENTATION OF TWO PROPOSITIONS OF RELATION, ONE IN TERMS OF x AND m, AND THE OTHER IN TERMS OF y AND m, ON THE SAME DIAGRAM._

The Reader had better now begin to draw little Diagrams for himself, and to mark them with the Digits "I" and "O", instead of using the Board and Counters: he may put a "I" to represent a _Red_ Counter (this may be interpreted to mean "There is at least _one_ Thing here"), and a "O" to represent a _Grey_ Counter (this may be interpreted to mean "There is _nothing_ here").

The Pair of Propositions, that we shall have to represent, will always be, one in terms of x and m, and the other in terms of y and m.

When we have to represent a Proposition beginning with "All", we break it up into the _two_ Propositions to which it is equivalent.

When we have to represent, on the same Diagram, Propositions, of which some begin with "Some" and others with "No", we represent the _negative_ ones _first_. This will sometimes save us from having to put a "I" "on a fence" and afterwards having to shift it into a Cell.

[Let us work a few examples.

(1)

"No x are m';
No y' are m".

Let us first represent "No x are m'". This gives us Diagram a.

Then, representing "No y' are m" on the same Diagram, we get
Diagram b.
pg051
a b
·---------------· ·---------------·
|(O) | (O)| |(O) | (O)|
| ·---|---· | | ·---|---· |
| | | | | | | |(O)| |
|---|---|---|---| |---|---|---|---|
| | | | | | | |(O)| |
| ·---|---· | | ·---|---· |
| | | | | |
·---------------· ·---------------·

(2)

"Some m are x;
No m are y".

If, neglecting the Rule, we were begin with "Some m are x", we
should get Diagram a.

And if we were then to take "No m are y", which tells us that
the Inner N.W. Cell is _empty_, we should be obliged to take the
"I" off the fence (as it no longer has the choice of _two_
Cells), and to put it into the Inner N.E. Cell, as in Diagram c.

This trouble may be saved by beginning with "No m are y", as in
Diagram b.

And _now_, when we take "Some m are x", there is no fence to sit
on! The "I" has to go, at once, into the N.E. Cell, as in
Diagram c.

a b c
·---------------· ·---------------· ·---------------·
| | | | | | | | |
| ·---|---· | | ·---|---· | | ·---|---· |
| | (I) | | | |(O)| | | | |(O)|(I)| |
|---|---|---|---| |---|---|---|---| |---|---|---|---|
| | | | | | |(O)| | | | |(O)| | |
| ·---|---· | | ·---|---· | | ·---|---· |
| | | | | | | | |
·---------------· ·---------------· ·---------------·

(3)

"No x' are m';
All m are y".

Here we begin by breaking up the Second into the two
Propositions to which it is equivalent. Thus we have _three_
Propositions to represent, viz.--

(1) "No x' are m';
(2) Some m are y;
(3) No m are y'".

These we will take in the order 1, 3, 2.

First we take No. (1), viz. "No x' are m'". This gives us
Diagram a.
pg052
Adding to this, No. (3), viz. "No m are y'", we get Diagram b.

This time the "I", representing No. (2), viz. "Some m are y,"
has to sit on the fence, as there is no "O" to order it off!
This gives us Diagram c.

a b c
·---------------· ·---------------· ·---------------·
| | | | | | | | |
| ·---|---· | | ·---|---· | | ·---|---· |
| | | | | | | |(O)| | | | |(O)| |
|---|---|---|---| |---|---|---|---| |---|(I)|---|---|
| | | | | | | |(O)| | | | |(O)| |
| ·---|---· | | ·---|---· | | ·---|---· |
|(O) | (O)| |(O) | (O)| |(O) | (O)|
·---------------· ·---------------· ·---------------·

(4)

"All m are x;
All y are m".

Here we break up _both_ Propositions, and thus get _four_ to
represent, viz.--

(1) "Some m are x;
(2) No m are x';
(3) Some y are m;
(4) No y are m'".

These we will take in the order 2, 4, 1, 3.

First we take No. (2), viz. "No m are x'". This gives us Diagram
a.

To this we add No. (4), viz. "No y are m'", and thus get Diagram
b.

If we were to add to this No. (1), viz. "Some m are x", we
should have to put the "I" on a fence: so let us try No. (3)
instead, viz. "Some y are m". This gives us Diagram c.

And now there is no need to trouble about No. (1), as it would
not add anything to our information to put a "I" on the fence.
The Diagram _already_ tells us that "Some m are x".]

a b c
·---------------· ·---------------· ·---------------·
| | | |(O) | | |(O) | |
| ·---|---· | | ·---|---· | | ·---|---· |
| | | | | | | | | | | |(I)| | |
|---|---|---|---| |---|---|---|---| |---|---|---|---|
| |(O)|(O)| | | |(O)|(O)| | | |(O)|(O)| |
| ·---|---· | | ·---|---· | | ·---|---· |
| | | |(O) | | |(O) | |
·---------------· ·---------------· ·---------------·

[Work Examples § =1=, 9-12 (p. 97); § =2=, 1-20 (p. 98).]

pg053

Comments

Log in to leave a comment.

Symbolic LogicChapter III

0%3 min left in chapter