The Latin term consĕquens , which derives from consĕqui (translatable as “follow” ), came to our language as consequent . It is an adjective that qualifies something that has a dependency or can be deduced from another element .
For example: “The closure of the company and the subsequent labor lawsuits generated a great commotion in the small town,” “It is necessary to invest to train human resources and, consequently, improve productivity,” “Excessive consumption of this type "of substances usually causes an increase in the sugar level with the consequent organic imbalance."
The expression “therefore” is used to join two terms when the second is generated as a consequence of the antecedent . Suppose a man insults his boss and then is fired. It can be said that the worker disrespected his hierarchical superior and, consequently, was fired from the company.
A car can suffer a brake failure and, consequently, crash into another vehicle: the crash is a consequence of the failure. In a similar sense, someone may break an arm and therefore need medical attention. There is a logical order in the terms since the car does not crash and then lose its brakes, nor does the person go to the doctor and then break their arm. The second action is an effect of the first: it is consequent to its antecedent.
Two very common synonyms of this expression are therefore and therefore , which are used much more frequently in everyday speech than consequently , although all three appear more commonly in written language. We must not forget that a very important part of language is made up of gestures and interjections, a series of movements, expressions and sounds with which we complete sentences in oral communication.
Very often, we resort to gestural language, interjections or pauses to express ideas of a certain complexity, either due to difficulty accessing the appropriate words in the middle of a conversation or because we are completely unaware of them. On the other hand, it is believed that certain words and expressions are "too formal" to be used in an environment such as a group of friends or family, in an everyday situation, and this prejudice is enough to relegate that entire portion of the language to paper, with the consequent unnecessary complication of oral communication .
In addition to the alternatives just presented to the expression therefore , in everyday speech we frequently find the use of so as another of its synonyms. This expression is not typical of the cultured language, but that does not prevent people from various contexts from using it, in sentences like the following: "I have to work late today, so I won't be able to meet you," "I have read all the material ." , so I'm ready to start working."
For mathematics, the term consequent appears in certain ancient texts as a synonym for consequent , one of the two parts of a reason, the one that complements the antecedent . A ratio is a relationship between two magnitudes that can be compared; In short, it is a division or subtraction between them, and can be expressed in the form of a fraction or decimal number.
If we take the ratio 60/12 , which can be read as "sixty is to twelve", the antecedent is 60 and the consequent (or consequent ) is 12. We speak of an inverse ratio , for example, when the consequent is put into place of the antecedent and vice versa.
In the field of philosophy , on the other hand, the proposition that is undeniable when the premises are admitted is called consequent.