We show here that A is or is not a species of C by showing that A falls, or does not fall, under the class B, which itself falls under C. Thus—
All whales are mammals.
All mammals are warm-blooded.
.'. Some warm-blooded animals are whales.
No whales are fishes.
All fishes are cold-blooded.
.'. Some cold-blooded animals are not whales.
CHAPTER XVII.
Of the Syllogism with three figures.
§ 656. It will be remembered that in beginning to treat of figure (§ 565) we pointed out that there were either four or three ligures possible according as the conclusion was assumed to be known or not. For, if the conclusion be not known, we cannot distinguish between the major and the minor term, nor, consequently, between one premiss and another. On this view the first and the fourth figures are the same, being that arrangement of the syllogism in which the middle term occupies a different position in one premiss from what it does in the other. We will now proceed to constitute the legitimate moods and figures of the syllogism irrespective of the conclusion.
§ 657. When the conclusion is set out of sight, the number of possible moods is the same as the number of combinations that can be made of the four things, A, E, I, O, taken two together, without restriction as to repetition. These are the following 16:—
AA EA IA OA AE -EE- IE -OE- AI EI -II- -OI- AO -EO- -IO- -OO-
of which seven may be neglected as violating the general rules of the syllogism, thus leaving us with nine valid moods—
AA. AE. AI. AO. EA. EI. IA. IE. OA.
§ 658. We will now put these nine moods successively into the three figures. By so doing it will become apparent how far they are valid in each.