A statistical syllogism (or proportional syllogism or direct inference) is a non-deductive syllogism. It argues from a generalization true for the most part to a particular case (in contrast to induction, which argues from particular cases to generalizations).
Statistical syllogisms may use qualifying words like "most", "frequently", "almost never", "rarely", etc., or may have a statistical generalization as one or both of their premises.
For exa...
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A statistical syllogism (or proportional syllogism or direct inference) is a non-deductive syllogism. It argues from a generalization true for the most part to a particular case (in contrast to induction, which argues from particular cases to generalizations).
Statistical syllogisms may use qualifying words like "most", "frequently", "almost never", "rarely", etc., or may have a statistical generalization as one or both of their premises.
For example:
Premise 1 (the major premise) is a generalization, and the argument attempts to draw a conclusion from that generalization. In contrast to a deductive syllogism, the premises logically support or confirm the conclusion rather than strictly implying it: it is possible for the premises to be true and the conclusion false, but it is not likely.
General form:
In the abstract form above, F is called the "reference class" and G is the "attribute class" and I is the individual object. So, in the earlier example, "(things that are) taller than...
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