Aristotle defined the syllogism and the enthymeme.
An Enthymeme is an abbreviated syllogism : it has only two propositions since the third premise is implied . In this way the enthymeme only presents an antecedent premise and its consequent premise .
Etymology
The etymology of enthymeme refers us to the Greek word enthýmēma , which came to Latin as enthymēma . That is the immediate etymological antecedent of our enthymeme , a term used in the field of philosophy .
The aforementioned Greek term has its origin in the verb enthyméome , which is understood as "I consider, I think, I deduce, I come to know, I make a plan, I draw, I arrive at a deduction." This verb, for its part, is related to the noun thymós , which is defined as "spirit, spirit, mind, soul, support of reflection, deliberation and thought ."
Syllogism
A syllogism is an argument with three propositions, the last being necessarily deduced from the two preceding ones. That is why it is said that the enthymeme is an abbreviated or truncated syllogism , since it presents one less proposition than the rest of the syllogisms.
Origin
The origin of the enthymeme is found in the work of the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC), who coined this term and defined the concept. It was also this philosopher who discovered the syllogism.
In his text called First Analytics , which is made up of two volumes and is sometimes translated as Previous Analytics , we find a syllogism that is based on the indication of a property that functions as a syllogistic middle term. For example, it says that if a woman is producing milk, then it is possible to infer that she is pregnant.
On the other hand, in his work entitled Rhetoric , Aristotle points out the enthymeme and the example as the two most important resources of logic that a speaker can count on to achieve persuasion. We must add that the enthymeme is a deduction and the example, an induction . The opinions of the enthymeme are probable, plausible, or generally accepted.
Proverbs, sentences and maxims are among the opinions that are usually admitted and can be used as premises for an enthymeme. Focusing on maxims, for example, they are statements that may or may not require justification, depending on how obvious their content is. Aristotle also recognized refutative enthymemes , those that serve to oppose or object to a premise.
Types of enthymemes
There are three types of enthymemes, which are recognized according to the missing premise. When the major premise is missing , we speak of a first-order enthymeme . On the other hand, if the minor premise is absent , it is a second-order enthymeme . The third order enthymeme has no conclusion .
The major premise of an enthymeme (that is, of a syllogism) is the one that allows expressing the judgment contained in the predicate (or major term ) of the conclusion. We continue with the minor premise, which is where the minor term, also known as the subject , is found. Finally, we have the conclusion (or the consequent ), the judgment we arrive at after affirming or denying the link that exists between the two previous terms.
The enthymeme may lack a major premise, a minor premise, or a conclusion.
Let's look at an example of an enthymeme: “Wolves are canids, therefore they are mammals.” As you can see, there are two premises, which means we are faced with an enthymeme. The omitted proposition would be “All canids are mammals” , the major premise. The enthymeme in question, then, is of the first order .
Let's analyze another case: “All Catholics are believers, therefore John is a believer.” This is a second -order enthymeme because it lacks the minor premise ( "John is Catholic" ). This proposition follows from the enthymeme itself (if “all Catholics are believers” and, “therefore, John is a believer” , it can be inferred that “John is Catholic” ).