A Class Room Logic / Deductive and Inductive, with Special Application to the Science and Art of Teaching

by George Hastings McNair

∴ No men grow.

The first premise is an A and consequently its subject is distributed. The second premise and conclusion being E’s have both subject and predicate distributed. Thus grow, as used in the conclusion, is distributed, but, as used in the major premise, it is not distributed. Fallacy shown by circles:

FIG. 11.

Here all of the “tree” circle belongs to the “grow” circle and none of the “men” circle belongs to the “tree” circle, hence the diagram correctly representsthe meaning of the two premises and shows the fallacy of concluding that no men grow. The “men” circle, being entirely within the “grow” circle, indicates that all men grow. Syllogism illustrating illicit minor:

All true teachers are just,

All true teachers are sympathetic,

∴ All the sympathetic are just.

Each proposition being an A distributes its subject. But the subject of the conclusion which is “the sympathetic” is not distributed in the minor premise, as an A proposition distributes its subject only. Hence the fallacy of illicit minor.

Fallacy shown by circles: