confused and distributive supposition
Quick Summary
In medieval logic, the theory of supposition was a semantic analysis that addressed the reference of terms within propositions. It distinguished between personal, simple, and material supposition. Personal supposition, which refers to individual instances, was further divided into types like determinate, confused and distributive, and merely confused.
"Confused and distributive" supposition, for example, applies to terms like "horse" in "Every horse is an animal." This means one can logically extend the statement to "This horse is an animal, and that horse is an animal, and so on." The purpose of these distinctions was debated, possibly to detect fallacies or analyze truth conditions.1
Distribution in syllogistics refers to a term applying to its entire denoted class. Universal propositions distribute their subject, and negative propositions distribute their predicate. This principle is crucial for valid inference, ensuring terms distributed in a conclusion were also distributed in the premises.2
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