VCR Lesson 7 Presentation
Sanjana Kapur
Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word from Lesson 7.
Saddam Hussein, former leader of Iraq
The Word: Premise (n.)
1. A proposition offered as a basis for argument.
2. In logic, each of the first two propositions in a syllogism.
*Note: Premise can also be used to mean property or land (i.e. "Never set foot upon my premises again). However, the word is not defined in this sense in the book.
Roots
Pre (L.) "Before"
Synonyms
Assumption
Presupposition
Supposition
Presumption
Conjecture
Postulate
*The two definitions of the term are similar enough that they have similar synonyms.
The first definition states that a premise is a general proposition underlying an argument.
The second definition is simply a much more specific form of the first definition because it explicitly discusses syllogisms and major/minor premises.
Because the second definition is a subset of the first and the two are not wholly separate definitions, they have the same synonyms.
Antonyms
Result
Observance
*Because a premise an assumption about something (i.e. an argument), the antonym of an assumption would be a conclusion or observance.
While a premise is assumed to be true. an observance must be watched carefully in an experiment to determine its truth.
Also, a premise comes BEFORE an argument is made, while a conclusion comes at the and of it.
Syllogisms
The major premise is a general statement, while the minor premise deals with a specific situation.
Example 1
Major premise= "All cats have four legs." (This is a general statement about cats in general).
Minor premise= "Pepper is a cat." (This discusses Pepper and Pepper only).
Conclusion: "Pepper has four legs." (This was drawn based on both premises.
Example 2
Major Premise= "All men are mortal." (This refers to all men in general).
Minor Premise: "Socrates is a man." (This refers to Socrates in particular.)
Conclusion: "Socrates is mortal." (This conclusion was drawn based upon both of the premises.
Example 3
Major Premise= "Reptiles do not have fur. " (This discusses all reptiles in general).
Minor Premise= "A crocodile is a reptile." (This is a specific fact about crocodiles, a subset of reptiles).
Conclusion= "Crocodiles do not have fur."
Example of Non-Syllogism Premise
Exercise 7A
7. beginning with the premise
a. assumption
b. syllogism
c. boldness
d. antithesis
e. archetype
Choose the letter of the sentence in which the word in bold-faced type is used incorrectly.
B) Her support of workers' rights to organize was premised on the argument that civil disobedience was morally justified.
C) Her support of the Democrats was premised on her belief that the Republicans had the superior political platform.
D) Because the premise behind the theory is highly unlikely to be true, the theory itself is probably incorrect as well.