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#8.
The Syllogism.
pp. 129 - 133
"There are three operations of the mind which are immediately concerned
in Argument; which are called by logical writers: 1st Simple Apprehension;
2nd Judgment; 3rd Discourse or Reasoning" (Whately).
Simple Apprehension refers to that act of the mind which receives a notion of an
object. Such apprehension may be Incomplex, as of "a book", or "a shelf", or Complex,
as of "a book on a shelf".
Judgment compares together two notions, and pronounces whether they agree or
disagree. Judgment either affirms or denies.
Reasoning or Inference proceeds from certain judgments to others founded upon
them. If the process of reasoning be from particulars to generals it is called "Induction".
If from generals to particulars it is called "Ratiocination".
Modern Science is largely inductive. The scientist observes some phenomenon. He
gathers data, examples and parallels, until he arrives at a general principle. Such a
general principle becomes one of the so-called "laws of nature". The "laws" may or
may not be true. There can of necessity be no finality about the process by which they
are obtained, and at any moment some added discovery may upset the whole preceding
calculation.
We do not, in our study of Scripture, use the inductive process so much as the
deductive. We start with revealed truth, and descend from the general to the particular.
The Scripture does not set out to prove the existence of God by induction. It says: "He
that cometh unto God must believe that He is" (Heb. 11: 6).
The syllogistic form of argument is one that can be used successfully by the student of
Scripture, and we propose to give this form an examination. The Greek word
sullogizomai that gives us the word "syllogism" is found in Luke 20: 5, 6:--
"And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; He will
say, Why then believed ye Him not? But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone
us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet."
Every argument consists of two parts: that which is proved, and the means whereby it
is proved. If the conclusion be stated last, which is the strict logical form, then the means
used are called the premises, and the conclusion is introduced by the word "therefore".