4 Categorical Propositions

4.1 THE COMPONENTS OF CATEGORICAL

PROPOSITIONS
 Standard Form Categorical Propositions

All S are P
No S are P
Some S are P
Some S are not P

Unless a statement is in one of these four forms, it is not in standard form.

 Standard Form Categorical Proposition

All members of the American Medical Association are persons

holding degrees from recognized academic institutions.

Quantifier = All
Subject term = members of the American Medical Association
Copula = are
Predicate term = persons holding degrees from recognized academic institutions

This statement is an instantiation of the standard form:

All S are P

You might translate it:

All M are D
for
All AMA Members are Degree holders
 Standard Form Categorical Proposition

Some universities that emphasize research are not

institutions that neglect undergraduate education.

Quantifier = Some
Subject term = universities that emphasize research
Copula = are not
Predicate term = institutions that neglect undergraduate education

This statement is an instantiation of the standard form:

Some S are not P

You might translate it:

Some R are not N
for
Some Research universities are not Neglecters of undergrads.
 Standard Form Categorical Proposition

The Subject term and Predicate term each name a class (or
group) of things.

The Quantifiers “All,” “No,” and “Some” tell us how much of

the subject class is included in or excluded from the
predicate class.

The Copulas “are” and “are not” tell us whether members of

the subject class are included or excluded from the
predicate class.
 Standard Form Categorical Proposition

Identify the Subject Term, Predicate Term, Copula, and Quantifier:

1) No persons who live near airports are persons who appreciate

the noise of jets.

2) All oil-based paints are products that contribute significantly to

photochemical smog.

3) Some artificial hearts are mechanisms that are prone to failure.

4) Some universities that emphasize research are not institutions

that neglect undergraduate education.
 Confusing Things…

There are 3 different quantifiers, but just two

quantities. Huh?

All
Universal
No
Some Particular

This is just a weirdness of ordinary language that

makes categorical statements a bit clunky to deal
with.
 Confusing Things…

There are two qualities, affirmative & negative, but 4

ways quality is indicated:

‘All’
indicate Affirmative
‘Are’
‘No’
indicate Negative
‘Are not’

Again, just a weirdness of ordinary language that

things aren’t neater.