An introductory text-book of logic - Mellone, Sydney - Rare Books at ...

AND THE ARISTOTELIAN SYLLOGISM. 153
the second order ; rarely, the conclusion is omitted,
when it is of the third order. The omission of the
conclusion is less a logical than a rhetorical device, to
"
"
insinuate or u "
suggest
a "figure of speech."
what is to be proved ;
it is
The syllogism which when fully expressed is stated as
follows : "All religious wars are fought out with the greatest
pertinacity and bitterness ; the Thirty Years War was a
"
religious war hence its ; length and bitterness
expressed
"
"
enthymematically in the three forms :
may be
First order: "The Thirty Years War was long and
bitter for it was a war."
; religious
Second order: "The Thirty Years War was long and
bitter, for all religious wars are so."
Third order: "All religious wars are long and
and the Thirty Years War was a war."
religious
bitter;
Understood thus, an enthymeme is a formally valid syl
logism with one premise (or the conclusion) not expressed.
This use of the term has largely prevailed since Hamilton
wrote. But the term is much more serviceable when under
stood to mean a
"
"
condensed syllogism whether formally
valid or not. Jevons has pointed out that even a single propo
sition may have a syllogistic force if it clearly suggests a
second premise which thus enables a conclusion to be drawn.
"The expression of Home Tooke, Men who have no
rights cannot justly complain of any wrongs, seems to be
a case in ; point
for there are few people who have not felt
wronged at some time or other, and they would therefore
be likely to argue, whether upon true or false premises, as
follows :
Men who have no rights cannot justly complain of any
wrongs ;
We can justly complain ;
Therefore we are not men who have no rights.
"
In other words, we have rights.
And Professor Minto has also observed that the argu
ments of common life are often less explicit than the Hamil-
"
tonian enthymeme. A general principle is vaguely hinted