ABSTRACT
The most efficient, accurate, and fruitful way to communicate reasonings is in natural languages. Use of formal systems, mathematical notations, new artificial languages, projected post-space-age “information-highway” networks, etc. The basic syllogistic system is a method for analyzing the correctness of certain simple reasonings (“arguments”) in which exactly three so-called “terms” are crucial, where each term is easily associatable with certain NPs and VPs in surface sentential structure. The Aristotelian rules of quality and distribution (rules of quantity being superfluous) are sound and complete methods for filtering out the 24 correct reasonings (valid syllogisms) from the 256 logical possibilities of Aristotelian syllogistic reasonings. Recent developments (Sommers, Englebretsen) have shown that the basic Aristotelian methods can be extended to relations. Some adjustment or restriction to DV-2 is obviously needed, since (cl) is not valid (especially as confirmed by the predicate calculus).
