Abstract

TRUJILLO AMAYA, Julián Fernando  and  VALLEJO ALVAREZ, Ximena. SILOGISMO TEÓRICO, RAZONAMIENTO PRÁCTICO Y RACIOCINIO RETÓRICO-DIALÉCTICO. Prax. filos. [online]. 2007, n.24, pp.79-114. ISSN 0120-4688.

Practical syllogism or the reasoning of the action (EN VI, 12, 1144ª 31, "") is presented by many scholars of Aristotelic works as a form of explanation whose intention is to account for the movement realized by the human soul from pure appetite or desire until the moment of firm action. The point of view discussed here can be presented in two related theses; 1) practical reasoning is not a syllogism - it consists of many more aspects which cannot be reduced to the formal structure of a perfect syllogism; 2) practical syllogism is based above all on rhetorical-dialectic reasoning, be it an enthymeme, a paradigm, or an epiquerema; it is a discursive process of deliberation with imperfect syllogisms or chains of probable syllogisms which guide deliberation by means of sorites and rhetorical inductions. It is not a demonstration of things which are necessarily, and unable to be, otherwise, but of what is possible and contingent, that which can or cannot be, since there is only deliberation on what is possible, and this is done with probable opinions. It therefore corresponds to the rhetoric and dialectic to reason with this type of premise. The rule of conduct of practical syllogism takes as its premise a generally accepted opinion (such as a hypothesis or conjecture), whose application to the particular case is contingent and its result, the action, also is, since it can be either realized or not realized. The action as a consequence of reasoning goes beyond the formal logical framework of syllogism.

Keywords : Reasoning; demonstration; practical syllogism; practical reasoning; desire; knowledge; know; intention; deliberation and rhetorical-dialectic reasoning.

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