Consider The Following Argument: Major Premise If A Country ✓ Solved

3 Consider The Following Argumentmajor Premise If A Country Employes

Consider the following argument. Major Premise: If a country employs proportional representation electoral rules, it will have many parties. Minor Premise: The country does employ proportional representation electoral rules. Conclusion: Therefore, the country will have many parties.

a. What form of categorical syllogism is this?

This argument is an instance of a hypothetical syllogism, which involves "if-then" (conditional) statements. Specifically, it follows the form of a modus ponens structure: if P then Q; P; therefore, Q.

b. Is this a valid or an invalid argument?

This argument is valid because it correctly applies the form of modus ponens: if the first premise is true and the second premise affirms the antecedent, then the conclusion logically follows.

Sample Paper For Above instruction

The argument presented pertains to the application of propositional logic, specifically examining the validity of a syllogistic form within the context of electoral rule implications. The major premise posits a conditional relationship between electoral systems and the number of political parties, stating: "If a country employs proportional representation electoral rules, it will have many parties." The minor premise affirms the antecedent: "The country does employ proportional representation electoral rules." Based on these premises, the conclusion deduces: "Therefore, the country will have many parties."

This structure aligns with the form of a hypothetical syllogism, also known as modus ponens, which is a fundamental logical argument pattern. The modus ponens form states that if "P implies Q" and "P" is true, then "Q" must also be true. Symbolically, this is represented as:

• Premise 1: If P, then Q (Conditional statement)
• Premise 2: P (Affirmation of the antecedent)
• Conclusion: Q (The consequent follows logically)

Applying this to the current argument:

• P: The country employs proportional representation electoral rules.
• Q: The country will have many parties.

Since the structure follows the modus ponens form, the argument is considered valid. The validity of an argument hinges on its form rather than the actual truth of its premises. Given that the reasoning correctly applies the logical form, the conclusion logically follows if the premises are true. Therefore, the argument is deductively valid, ensuring that the conclusion is a necessary consequence of the premises under classical logic principles.

In the context of political science, the argument illustrates how electoral systems can influence party proliferation. Proportional representation is known for encouraging multiparty systems, as it allows smaller parties to gain legislative seats more easily than majoritarian systems (Lijphart, 1994). Thus, the logical deduction aligns with empirical observations, strengthening the internal consistency of the argument.

References

• Lijphart, Arend. (1994). Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries. Yale University Press.
• Copi, Irving M., & Cohen, Carl. (2016). Introduction to Logic. Routledge.
• Hurley, Patrick J. (2014). A Concise Introduction to Logic. Cengage Learning.
• Prakken, Henry. (2014). Logic for Argumentation and Computation. University of Amsterdam.
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• Toulmin, Stephen. (2003). The Uses of Argument. Cambridge University Press.
• Prakken, Henry, & Vreeswijk, Geert. (2012). Logics for defeasible argumentation. In Handbook of Formal Argumentation.
• Kleinknecht, William. (1987). Introduction to Formal Logic. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.