From a logical point of view, the way in which an issue is argued is extremely important. That’s why you have to pay close attention to the structure of this and you have to pay close attention to the premise of an argument.
What is the premise?
In philosophy, there is a branch that is dedicated to studying everything that directs our way of thinking as a species , and is known as logic . The logic studies, among many other things, the argument as a sign of reasoning , which lies based on the premise . The premise , seen from philosophy , is the element that allows us to reach a conclusion in an argument , be it true or false. It has its origin in the Latin praemissus , which means advance .
- Definition of premise
- Premise types
- Premise indicators
- Examples of premise
Definition of premise
The premise is one of the main pieces of logic and represents the basis of any argument , since it allows it to reach a valid outcome. They are considered propositions , and therefore their function is to deny or affirm a true or false postulate.
Logic studies traditionally place it in the syllogism , which uses two or more premises to reach a conclusion .
The proposition is handled as a synonym for a premise , since it represents the expression of a judgment that allows affirming or denying an argument . They are considered sentences that contain some degree of truth and are interpretable according to a formal model .
Among the characteristics of a proposition, the most prominent are:
- It comes before the conclusion of the argument
- Confirm the veracity of an assumption
- It fulfills its function only if it is in the correct place within the argument
- Understands few words
- It may or may not be true
The function of the premise is to allow something to be deduced so that an argument can reach an effective conclusion . This is how they end up affirming or denying whether something is true or not.
The premise can be divided according to its place in the structure of the argument and according to its truth value :
According to its place in the structure of the argument
- Minor premise: is one that specifies the case of the syllogism . What is posed here as a subject becomes predicated in the conclusion , and the data is collected by observing reality .
- Major premise: is one that contains the central point of the syllogism in a general way . Its function is to allow the passage of the information given by the minor premise using reasoning as a bridge.
According to its truth value
- False: when what is read in it is not congruent with reality
- True: when what is affirmed or denied is consistent with reality
To identify a premise , it is necessary to observe the words that start it , in particular to be able to differentiate it from a conclusion . Among the keywords that indicate that a phrase is about a premise , are:
- For the reason that
- Given the
- For the reason of
- The reason is that
- Like it shows
- As indicated by
- It follows from
- In view of that
- For the following reasons
- It can be derived from
- It can be inferred from
- It can be deduced from
The importance of the premises is that without them an argument would not reach the conclusion . Through the relationship that it establishes between two valid statements, the truth or falsity of an argument can be verified.
Examples of premise
Here are some examples of syllogisms , in which the premises constitute the first two lines and the conclusion is the last sentence:
If rain falls , the street gets wet It
Therefore, the street gets wet
All women are feminine.
Maria is a woman
Maria is feminine.
All mammals suckle their young
Platypuses are mammals
Platypuses suckle their young
If Gina eats healthy every day she strengthens her state of health
Gina eats healthy daily
Gina’s health status is strengthened
Living beings implicitly carry the capacity for reproduction
The San Antonio frog is a living being This
is how the San Antonio frog implicitly carries the capacity for reproduction
The authorities do only what the law allows them
Citizens are only prohibited from doing everything that the law proposes
The authorities are not in a position to do what they want, and citizens can do as much as they want less what the law indicates they should not do .