ABSTRACT
Syllogisms are very common forms of argument or reasoning. A chain of syllogisms, as distinguished from a mere group of disconnected syllogisms, is characterized by the fact that each syllogism either supports, or is supported by, the other—there is real connection, or dependence, between them. Chains of syllogisms and of abridged syllogisms may obviously be of all degrees of complexity. A progressive chain of abridged syllogisms is called a Sorites; a regressive chain of abridged syllogism is called an Epicheirema. But usage is not uniform in these matters, and there is no particular virtue in these technical expressions. The main thing is to be able to recognize the real character of such chains of syllogisms, to analyse them into the constituent single syllogisms. An abridged syllogism is called an enthymeme, and is said to be of the first, second, or third order according as the omitted proposition is the major premise, the minor premise, or the conclusion.
