Logic Report

Conversion
Conversion is a form of immediate inference in which the subject and predicate of a

give proposition are transposed without changing the quality and truth of the
proposition (Timbreza, 1999). It is the re-expression of a proposition by interchanging
places of the subject and predicate while preserving its quality (Reyes, 1988). The
original proposition is called the convertend, while the new proposition, the converse.
Rules of Conversion:
1. The convertend must be in logical form or reduced to logical form.
2. The quality and truth of the convertend must be preserved.
3. No term shall be distributed in the converse unless it is distributed in the
convertend. If a term is used only as particular in the convertend, it should not be used
as universal in the converse.
Examples: No horse is a dog - convertend
No dog is a horse – converse
There are two kinds of conversion. It may be simple or accidental. The former is one
in which the subject and the predicate terms are interchanged preserving, though, the
quantity of either, while the latter, the quantity ofeither predicate and subject terms is
lessened.
Example: For simple conversion
No horse is a dog - convertend
No dog is a horse - converse
Some students are good athletes.
Some good athletes are students.
For accidental conversion
All physicians are professionals.
Some professionals are physicians.
Note: Rules for conversion are also applied to A, E, I,
propositions to wit:
A = accidental conversion (AE)
E = simple or accidental conversion (E E, E O)
I = simple conversion (II)
O = no conversion Reason: violation of Rule 3
Obversion
Obversion (equipollence, permutation or infinitum) is a process of immediate
inference whereby an affirmative proposition is stated negatively and a negative
proposition may be stated affirmatively. Its purpose is to take an original proposition
and by the addition or subtraction of one or two negations to make second proposition
which is equivalent in meaning to that of the first (Timbreza, 1999). It is the re-
expression of proposition by retaining the second subject and its quantity, while
changing the quality the proposition and changing the predicate to its contradictory
(Reyes, 1988). Simply, in obversion, the first statement cannot deny thing. The first
statement is called obvertend, while the second, obverse.
Rules of Obversion (Timbreza, 1999):

1. Retain the subject of the obvertend.
2. Change the quality of the obvertend.
3. Retain the quantity of the obvertend..
4. Contradict the predicate of the obvertend by giving the negative form of the
original predicate or prefixing it with"non."
Note: These rules are applied to the A, E, I, and O propositions,

thus:
A-E = All S is P- obvertend
E-A = No S is non-P- obverse
OI = Some S is non-P- obverse
IO = Some S is P - obvertend
Examples: All men are rational obvertend

All men are not irrational- obverse
All men are mortal - obvertend
No men are immortal- obverse
No man is perfect - obvertend
All men are imperfect- obverse
Some professionals are taxpayers.
Some professionals are non-taxpayers.
Some students are thoughtful.
Some students are not thoughtless.
Possibility and Actuality (Timbreza, 1999)

Differences:
Possibility signifies a perfection not as yet possessed or realized. It refers
to condition, situation, or state of being that does not yet exist but can exist.
Actuality signifies a perfection now possessed. It refers to any condition,
situation or state of being that exists here and now.
In the light of the foregoing distinction, four-fold logical problems of
immediate inference arise, to wit:
1. If a thing is possible, does it mean that it is actual?
2. If a thing is actual, does it follow that it is possible?
3. If a thing does not yet exist, does it necessarily follow that it cannot
exist?
4. If a thing is impossible, does it mean that it does not exist
anywhere else?
Rules for Possibility and Actuality
1. From possibility to actuality, inference is not valid.
If a thing can exist, we cannot legitimately infer that it does not
exist. The fact that it can be does not necessarily mean that it is.
Examples: You can marry; therefore, you are married.

You can earn a degree from the university
or college; therefore you have earned it.
In both cases, the inference is not valid. The possible you
can marry does not logically already married. It is only a
possibility. What is possible is not actual.
2. From actuality to possibility, inference is valid.

From the fact that a thing exists, we can validly infer that it is
possible.
Example: Some men are married, therefore, marriage is possible, i.e. men
can marry.
This is valid. Inasmuch as some men are married we can
immediately, validly infer that to marry is possible, otherwise there
would be no married men.
3. From non-actuality to impossibility, inference is not valid
If a thing does not yet exist, we cannot logically conclude that it
cannot exist.
Example: You are not yet married; therefore, you cannot marry.
This is not valid. From the fact that you are not yet married, one
cannot logically infer that you cannot marry anymore. Similarly, since
you are not yet a graduate, it does not necessarily follow that you cannot
graduate.
4. From impossibility to non-actuality, inference is valid.
If it is impossible for a thing to exist, we can validly infer that it
does not exist anywhere else.
Example: A square circle is impossible. Therefore, we can
logically conclude that a square circle is
nowhere to be found.

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Conversion

Conversion is a form of immediate inference in which the subject and predicate of a

Rules of Obversion (Timbreza, 1999):

Note: These rules are applied to the A, E, I, and O propositions,

Examples: All men are rational obvertend

Possibility and Actuality (Timbreza, 1999)

Examples: You can marry; therefore, you are married.

2. From actuality to possibility, inference is valid.

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