01/02/2015

TutorialDistributionofPredicateTerms

Distribution:
DistributionofPredicateTerms
Thepredicatetermisdistributedifthepropositionisnegative(EorO)and
undistributedifthepropositionisaffirmative(AorI).
WhenwesaythatnoSisP,weareexcludingallPsfromtheclassofSsjustas
muchasweareexcludingallSsfromtheclassofPs.SointhiscasePis
distributed.
In"SomeSarenotP,"thesubjecttermisundistributed,aswesaw,becauseweare
talkingonlyaboutsomemembersofS,notallofthem.However,thosemembers
arebeingexcludedfromtheclassofPsinthesamewaythat,intheEproposition,
allthememberswerebeingexcluded.Inotherwords,thereisasubsetofSthatis
excludedfromeachandeveryP.Thus,weknowsomethingaboutthatwholesubset
ofSnamely,thatitisexcludedfromP.
Forthepredicateterm,whatmattersisquality.Quantityisirrelevant.
Distribution

Copyright1998,W.W.Norton&Co.

http://www.wwnorton.com/college/phil/logic3/ch8/dpredi.htm

1/1