Definition:
A form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. Adjective: syllogistic. Compare with enthymeme. See also:
Etymology:
From the Greek, "to infer, count, reckon"Examples and Observations:
- "LOGIC, n. The art of thinking and reasoning in strict accordance with the limitations and incapacities of the human misunderstanding. The basic of logic is the syllogism, consisting of a major and a minor premise and a conclusion--thus:
Major Premise: Sixty men can do a piece of work sixty times as quickly as one man.
Minor Premise: One man can dig a posthole in sixty seconds;
therefore--
Conclusion: Sixty men can dig a posthole in one second. This may be called the syllogism arithmetical, in which, by combining logic and mathematics, we obtain a double certainty and are twice blessed."
(Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary) - Dr. House: Words have set meanings for a reason. If you see an animal like Bill and you try to play fetch, Bill's going to eat you, because Bill's a bear.
Little Girl: Bill has fur, four legs, and a collar. He's a dog.
Dr. House: You see, that's what's called a faulty syllogism; just because you call Bill a dog doesn't mean that he is . . . a dog.
("Merry Little Christmas, House, M.D.) - "On Meet the Press, . . . [Tim] Russert reminded [George W.] Bush, 'The Boston Globe and the Associated Press have gone through some of their records and said there's no evidence that you reported to duty in Alabama during the summer and fall of 1972.' Bush replied, 'Yeah, they're just wrong. There may be no evidence, but I did report. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been honorably discharged.' That's the Bush syllogism: The evidence says one thing; the conclusion says another; therefore, the evidence is false."
(William Saletan, Slate, Feb. 2004)
Pronunciation: sil-uh-JIZ-um
Also Known As: categorical argument
