The Art of Logical Thinking; Or, The Laws of Reasoning — John Shaqi
The Art of Logical Thinking; Or, The Laws of ReasoningAtkinson, William Walker
Philosophy
The Art of Logical Thinking; Or, The Laws of Reasoning
Atkinson, William Walker
Logic; Reasoning
A _Singular Term_ is a term denoting a single object, person or thing.
Although denoting only a single object, person or thing, it may be
composed of several words; or it may be composed of but one word as in
the case of a proper name, etc. The following are Singular Terms,
because they are terms denoting but a single object, person or thing:
"Europe; Minnesota; Socrates; Shakespeare; the first man; the highest
good; the first cause; the King of England; the British Museum; the
Commissioner of Public Works; the main street of the City of New York."
It will be noted that in all of the examples given, the Singular Term
denotes a particular something, a specific thing, a something of which
there is but one, and that one possesses particularity and
individuality. As Hyslop says: "_Oneness of kind_ is not the only or
distinctive feature of Singular Terms, but _individuality_, or
singularity, as representing a concrete individual whole."
A _General Term_ is a term which applies, in the same sense, to each and
every individual object, person or thing in a number of objects, persons
or things of the same kind, or to the entire class composed of such
objects persons or things of the same kind. For instance, "horse; man;
biped; mammal; trees; figures; grain of sand; matter," etc. Hyslop says,
regarding General Terms: "In these instances the terms denote more than
one object, and apply to all of the same kind. Their meaning is
important in the interpretation of what are called universal
propositions."
Another general classification of Terms divides them into two
respective classes, as follows: (1) Collective Terms; and (2)
Distributive Terms. Hyslop says of this classification: "This division
is based upon the distinction between aggregate wholes of the same kind
and class terms. It partly coincides with the division into Singular and
General Terms, the latter always being distributive."
A _Collective Term_ is one which denotes an aggregate or collected whole
of objects, persons or things of the same or similar kind, _which
collective whole is considered as an individual_, although composed of a
totality of separate individual objects, persons or things. Thus the
following terms: "regiment; congregation; army; family; crowd; nation;
company; battalion; class; congress; parliament; convention;" etc. are
Collective Terms, because they denote collective, aggregate or composite
wholes, considered as an individual.
A _Distributive Term_ is a term which denotes _each and every individual
object, person or thing in a given class_. For example, are the terms:
"man; quadruped; biped; mammal; book; diamond; tree." As Hyslop says:
"General terms are always distributive." Also: "It is important also to
keep clear the distinction between _class_ wholes and _collective_
wholes.... They are often confused so as to call a term denoting a
_class_ a Collective Term."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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