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
Some authorities insist upon closer and further classification, as for
instance, in the case of what they call a _Privative Term_, denoting the
absence of qualities once possessed by the object, person or thing, as:
"deaf, dead, blind, dark," etc. Hyslop says that these terms "are
Positive in form and Negative in matter or meaning." Also in the case of
what they call a _Nego-positive Term_, denoting "the presence of a
positive quality expressed in a negative manner," as: disagreeable,
inhuman, invaluable, etc. These last mentioned classes however are
regarded by some as the result of "carrying too far" the tendency
toward classification, and the two general classes, Positive and
Negative, are thought sufficient for the purpose of the general student.
The same objection applies to a classification occasionally made _i.e._,
that which is called an _Infinitated Term_, denoting a term the intent
of which is to place in a distinct category every object, person or
thing other than that expressed in the corresponding Positive Term. The
intent of the term is to place the positive idea in one class, and all
else into a separate one. Examples of this class of terms are found in:
"not-I, not-animal, not-tree, unmoral," etc. Hyslop says of these terms:
"They are not always, if ever, recognized as rhetorically elegant, but
are valuable often to make clear the really negative, or infinitatively
negative nature of the idea in mind."
Another general classification of Terms divides them into two respective
classes, as follows: (1) Absolute Terms; and (2) Relative Terms.
An _Absolute Term_ is a term denoting the presence of qualities
intrinsic to the object, and not depending upon any relation to any
other object, as for instance: "man; book; horse; gun;" etc. These
terms _may be_ related to many other terms, but are _not necessarily_
related to any other.
A _Relative Term_ is a term denoting certain _necessary_ relations to
other terms, as for instance: "father; son; mother; daughter; teacher;
pupil; master; servant;" etc. Thus it is impossible to think of "child"
except in relation to "parent," or _vice versa_. The one term implies
the existence of its related term.
Hyslop says of the above classification: "Relative Terms suggest the
thought of other individuals with the relation involved as a part of the
term's meaning, while Absolute Terms suggest only the qualities in the
subject without a relation to others being necessarily involved."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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