Part II, Lesson Five Obversion and Conversion of Propositions Fil. 207 Elementary Logic PCUPR Prof.

. Kathleen Sauder
Introduction
In addition to opposition and subalternation, there are other relations between propositions that we will examine. With opposition and subalternation, we used the same subject and the same predicate with the same meaning and the same supposition in two different propositions. When these propositions were opposed, one affirmed and the other denied the predicate of the subject. We saw that there are three different kinds of opposition. We also studied the relation of subalternation, which relates two propositions that also use the same subject and the same predicate with the same meaning and the same supposition. Here, however, there was no opposition, but rather another type of relationship, since both propositions were affirmative or both negative. The universal included the particular proposition. With the relation of obversion, however, we do not use the same predicate in both propositions. The predicate of one is the negation of the predicate of the other, while both propositions use the same subject. This is the first main difference between propositions that have a relationship of opposition and those having a relationship of obversion. Another important difference is that propositions that are opposed to each other are in some way incompatible, whereas a proposition and its obversion mean exactly the same thing.

Rules of Obversion
Change the quality of the proposition you wish to obvert. If the original proposition is affirmative, make it negative by changing the copula. If it is negative, make it affirmative. Do not change the quantity. Deny the predicate.

The predicate of the obverted proposition must be the contradictory opposite of the original predicate. If the original predicate is positive, it must be negated (the easiest way is to add the prefix non-.) If the original predicate already has a negative prefix, adding another will have the effect of canceling out the other, resulting in a positive term.

Elementary Logic, Part II, L. 5: Obversion and Conversion Prof. Kathleen Sauder

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A test of whether the obversion has been performed correctly would be to ask ourselves whether the obverted proposition means the same thing as the original. When applying the second rule, care must be taken to negate the predicate rather than the copula. Also, the negation of the predicate must be its contradictory opposite, not any other kind. Indefinite and singular propositions can also be obverted.

Rule of Truth and Falsity in Obversion

Since a proposition that is the obverse of another is its exact equivalent in meaning, whenever the original proposition is true, so is its obverse. Whenever the original proposition is known to be false, its obverse must also be false.

Usefulness of Obversion
Knowing how to form the obverse of a proposition is not nearly as useful as knowing the consequences of the various kinds of opposition, as when we use the Square of Opposition. Yet obversion sometimes helps clear up possible confusion about exactly what is being said, especially in cases where someone deliberately uses several negative forms of expression within one proposition in order to obscure meaning. Knowledge of obversion can sometimes clear up what is meant. Sometimes people deliberately try to hide what they mean to say. One of the purposes of studying Logic is to clarify forms of expression that tend to be confusing.

Conversion of Propositions
Conversion, another type of relation between two propositions, is defined as interchanging subject and predicate while keeping the same quality and quantity of the proposition. Conversion is a completely different type of relation between propositions. Unlike either opposition or obversion, it switches subject and predicate. Its usefulness in Logic will be more apparent in Part Three.

Kinds of Conversion

1.

Simple conversion.

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Simple conversion is the exchange of subject and predicate without the need to change the quantity of the proposition. Some politicians are honest converts to Some honest (people) are politicians. Accidental conversion. Accidental conversion is the exchange of subject and predicate with a change in the quantity of the proposition. The reason that universal affirmative propositions can only be converted accidentally has to do with the distribution of subject and predicate.

Rules of Conversion
We will assume that the same type of supposition is used throughout the process. 1. Every universal negative proposition converts simply. No A is B converts to No B is A. 2. Every particular affirmative proposition converts simply. Again, since subject and predicate have the same distribution (in this case, both are undistributed), they may be interchanged. 3. Every universal affirmative proposition converts accidentally. Here, the subject and predicate do not have the same distribution, since the subject is distributed and the predicate is undistributed. So they cannot simply be interchanged. But they can be if we reduce the quantity of the proposition from universal to particular, avoiding this problem of distribution. By changing the quantity from universal to particular, we make the distribution of the subject undistributed instead of distributed, permitting us to use the (undistributed) predicate as an undistributed subject. All birds are animals converts to Some animals are birds. 4. The particular negative proposition cannot be validly converted. In particular negative propositions, the subject is undistributed and the predicate is distributed. If we interchange them, we would be changing the distribution of the term used as subject from undistributed to distributed, which is not allowed.

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If the original proposition is true, its valid conversion will also be true. There is no rule that applies to the conversion of a false proposition, since sometimes this will result in a true proposition, but other times in a false proposition. The usefulness of conversion will be seen in Part Three in the study of the syllogism.

Elementary Logic, Part II, L. 5: Obversion and Conversion Prof. Kathleen Sauder

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