5/10/2015

Conversion,Obversion,andContraposition

Conversion,Obversion,andContraposition
Conversionistheinferenceinwhichthesubjectandpredicateareinterchanged.Inmodern
logicitisonlyvalidfortheEandIpropositions.Thevalidconverseislogicallyequivalentto
theoriginalproposition.Intraditionallogic,theApropositionhasaconversebylimitation
whichisthesubalternoftheinvalidAconversei.e.,thecorrespondingIproposition.The
conversebylimitationisimpliedbytheoriginalbutisnot(usually)equivalenttoit.
ORIGINAL
AllSareP
NoSareP
SomeSareP

CONVERSE
AllPareS
NoPareS
SomePareS

VALID? BYLIMITATION
no
SomePareS
yes
yes

SomeSarenotP SomeParenotS no
Obversionistheinferenceinwhichthequalityofthepropositionischangedandthe
predicateisinterchangedwithitscomplement.Itisvalidforallfourforms.Theobverseis
logicallyequivalenttotheoriginalproposition.
ORIGINAL
AllSareP
NoSareP
SomeSareP
SomeSarenotP

OBVERSE
NoSarenonP
AllSarenonP
SomeSarenotnonP
SomeSarenonP

VALID?
yes
yes
yes
yes

Contrapositionistheinferenceinwhichthesubjectisinterchangedwiththecomplementof
thepredicateandthepredicateisinterchangedwiththecomplementofthesubject.Inmodern
logicitisonlyvalidfortheAandOpropositions.Thevalidcontrapositiveislogically
equivalenttotheoriginalproposition.Intraditionallogic,theEpropositionhasa
contrapositivebylimitationwhichisthesubalternoftheinvalidEcontrapositivei.e.,the
correspondingOproposition.Thecontrapositivebylimitationisimpliedbytheoriginalbut
isnot(usually)equivalenttoit.
ORIGINAL
AllSareP

CONTRAPOSITIVE
AllnonParenonS

VALID? BYLIMITATION
yes

NoSareP
NononParenonS
no
SomeSareP
SomenonParenonS
no
SomeSarenotP SomenonParenotnonS yes
http://academic.csuohio.edu/polen/LC9_Help/4/immediate.htm

SomenonParenotnonS

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