LOGIC: SORITE

.        SORITE

The term “Sorite” (Soriteez) comes from the Greek words Soros, meaning “heap” or “pile”. Roughly put a Sorite is a “heap” of syllogism. More precisely, a Sorites is a chain of syllogism in which the final is stated but the subconclusion are unstated.

Sorites is also an argument whose conclusion is infferred from it’s premises by chain of syllogistic inferences in which the conclusion of each inference serve as a premise for the next, and the conclusion of the last syllogism, that is the conclusion of the entire argument.

Features of Sorites in Standard form.

1.  Each statement or proposition in the argument is in Standard form
2. The predicate term of the conclusion occur in the first premises
3. Each term appears twice, in two two different statement or proposition
4. Each premise (except the first) has a term in common with the immediately preceding premises.

Example

All diplomats are tactful

Some government officials are diplomats

All government officials are people in public life

Some people in public life are tactful

From these, take a look of features of Standard Sorites and study them.

From the the above examples, using a single syllogistic inferences yet the indicated conclusion is entailed by the stated premises to derives it’s require two syllogism rather than one.

A stepwise process of argumentation must be restored to, in which each step is a separate categorical syllogism when stated explicitly, so the required argument will be

1. All diplomats are tactful

2. Some government officials are diplomats

Therefore some government officials are tactful.

3. All government officials are people in public life.

Therefore, Some people in public life are tactful.

Another example.        Hidden conclusion

1. All  A are  B.          a. All A are C
2. All  B are  C.           3. All C are  D
3. All  C are D.           b. All  A are D
4. All  D are E.           4. All D are E

Therefore;All A are E.     (From A and B).

Rules for Aristotelian Sorite

1. Only the first premise (major) can be negative

Only the last premise (minor ) can be particular.

Another example:

1. All B are K

2. All K are E

3. No M are E

4. All G are M

So, No G are B

1. Subconclusion All E are B

2. Subconclusion No G are M

Another example:

1. Babies are illogical

2. Nobody is dispised who can manage a crocodile

3. Illogical persons are dispised

Therefore babies cannot manage crocodile

Solutions

One of the features of Aristotelian Sorite is to put proposition or statement in Standard form. Then follow the rules

1. All babies are illogical persons

3. All illogical persons are dispised

2. No persons who are dispised are persons who can manage crocodile

Therefore: No persons who can manage a crocodile are babies.

Also another name for Sorites is polysyllogism.