syllogism
/ˈsɪləˌdʒɪzəm/
noun
- A form of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn from two given or assumed propositions (premises), each sharing a common term with the conclusion.
- She constructed a syllogism to prove her point: all birds have feathers, a penguin is a bird, so a penguin has feathers.
- The detective used a simple syllogism to solve the case: the butler was the only one without an alibi, so he must be the thief.
- In logic class, we learned that 'All humans are mortal; Socrates is human; therefore, Socrates is mortal' is a classic syllogism.
- A deductive argument or chain of reasoning, especially one that is overly formal or simplistic.
- The politician's speech relied on a faulty syllogism that didn't hold up under scrutiny.
- Don't reduce the debate to a simple syllogism; there are many factors to consider.
- His argument was just a tired syllogism that ignored real-world complexity.
Antonyms