Premise

Premise

A premise is a statement that an argument claims will induce or justify a conclusion. In logic, a premise is a proposition that provides support to an argument's conclusion. There can be one or many premises in a single argument. A premise is a statement that is assumed to be true for the purpose of the argument.

Types of Premises

Premises can be classified into different types based on their nature and the role they play in an argument:

• Major Premise: This is a general statement that is used to derive a conclusion. For example, in the syllogism "All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is mortal," the major premise is "All men are mortal."
• Minor Premise: This is a specific statement that is used in conjunction with the major premise to derive a conclusion. In the same syllogism, the minor premise is "Socrates is a man."
• Conditional Premise: This is a premise that asserts a conditional statement, often in the form "If A, then B."
• Categorical Premise: This is a premise that asserts a categorical statement, often in the form "All A are B."

Role in Logical Arguments

In deductive reasoning, premises are used to reach a logically certain conclusion. If the premises are true and the argument is valid, the conclusion must also be true. In inductive reasoning, premises are used to reach a conclusion that is likely but not certain. The strength of the conclusion depends on the strength of the premises.

Examples

• Deductive Argument:

 * Major Premise: All humans are mortal.
 * Minor Premise: Socrates is a human.
 * Conclusion: Socrates is mortal.

• Inductive Argument:

 * Premise: The sun has risen in the east every morning so far.
 * Conclusion: The sun will rise in the east tomorrow.

Related Concepts

• Conclusion (logic)
• Argument
• Deductive reasoning
• Inductive reasoning
• Syllogism
• Proposition

See Also

• Logic
• Philosophy
• Critical thinking
• Reasoning