ESSENTIALS OF

QUANTIFICATION THEORY
LOGIC PRESENTATION
BY: Apurva Shukla
M.A. 1st semester , 2015-2016

NEED OF QUANTIFICATION THEORY?

Quantification enables us to interpret noncompound premises
as compound statements, without the loss of meaning, and
symbolizing their inner structure
For example : All humans are mortal
Socretes is human
Therefore Socretes is mortal.
This argument is obviously valid , but it could be
symbolised as :
A
H
M
On this analysis it appers to be invalid , because of its inner logical structure not
being symbolized. THIS PROBLEM IS SOLVED BY QUANTIFICATION
THEORY

UNIVERSAL AND EXISTENTIAL

QUANTIFIERS
General propositions differ from singular propositions
in not containing the names of individuals. However,
they can also be regarded as resulting from
propositional functions, not by instantiation, but by
the process of QUANTIFICATION.
Ex: 1. Everything is mortal can be written as as
given any x is called a universal quantifier
and the statement can be symbolised as (x)Mx
2. Something is mortal can bewritten as there is
at least one x such that is called as existential
quantifier
and the statement can be symbolised as (x)Mx.

SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION OF A, E
,I,O
(x)(Sx Px)corresponds to
theAproposition, "All S are P."
(x)(Sx ~Px)corresponds to
theEproposition, "No S are P."
(x)(Sx Px)corresponds to
theIproposition, "Some S are P."
(x)(Sx ~Px)corresponds to
theOproposition , "Some S are not P.

General Connection between universal

and existential quantification

PROVING VALIDITY: QUANTIFICATION

RULES
1.UNIVERSAL INSTANTIATION (UI):
This rule states that any substitution instance of a propositional
function can validly be inferred from its universal quantification.
EXPRESSION:

(x)( x )/ v
EXAMPLE: All humans are mortal; Socretes is human; Socretes
is mortal
1. (x) (Hx Mx)
2. Hs / Ms
3. Hs Ms
1, UI
4.Ms
3,2 M.P.

UNIVERSAL GENERALIZATION (UG)

This rule states that universal quantification of a
propositional function can validly be inferred from its
substitution instance.
EXPRESSION:
y / (x)( x )
EXAMPLE: No mortals are perfect; all humans are mortal; no humans are

perfect.
1.(x)(Mx ~Px)
2.(x)(Hx Mx)
3. Hy My
4. My ~Py
5. Hy ~Py
6. (x)(Hx ~Px)

/ (x) (Hx ~Px)

2, UI
1, UI
3,4, H.S.
5,UG

EXISTENTIAL GENERALIZATION (EG)

AND EXISTENTIAL INSTANTIATION (EI)
EXISTENTIAL GENERALIZATION :This rule states that the
existential quantification of a propositional function can validly be
inferred from any substitution instance of that propositional
function.

EXPRESSION:

V / (x)( x )
EXISTENTIAL INSTANTIATION: This rule states that from
the existential quantification of a propositional function we may
validly infer the truty of its substitution instance with respect to
an individual constant that has no prior occurrence in that context.
EXPRESSION:

(x)( x ) / u

EXAMPLES
All dogs are carnivorous; some animals are dogs; some
animals are carnivorous.
1. (x)(Dx Cx)
2. (x) (Ax . Dx)
/ (x) (Ax . Cx)
3. Aw . Dw
2,EI
4. Dw Cw
5. Dw . Aw
6. Dw
7. Cw
8. Aw
9. Aw . Cw
10. .(x) (Ax . Dx)

1,UI
3, Com.
5,Simp.
4,6, M.P.
3,Simp.
8,7, Conj.
9, EG