Britannica AI Icon

Quick Summary

A hypothetical syllogism is a type of logical argument that consists entirely or partly of hypothetical propositions. In logic, a syllogism is a valid deductive argument with two premises and a conclusion. Hypothetical syllogisms are a form of non-categorical syllogistic, which uses entire propositions as its units, as opposed to categorical syllogistic that analyzes terms within propositions.123

There are two types:
* Pure hypothetical syllogism: Composed solely of hypothetical propositions.1
* Mixed hypothetical syllogism: Includes one hypothetical and one categorical premise, leading to a categorical conclusion.3

These arguments are a part of formal logic, which is the study of reasoning and the structures that allow for true conclusions to be inferred from given premises.3

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.