Galen and the Syllogism

Nicholas Rescher, by examining and reproducing sources in Arabic philosophy, seeks to definitively settle the debate over whether Galen originated the fourth figure of the categorical syllogism.

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In this book, Nicholas Rescher seeks to settle debates about whether Galen originated the fourth figure of the categorical syllogism. For his definitive evidence, Rescher examines Arabic sources, one of which is /u201cOn the Fourth Figure of the Syllogism/u201d by twelfth-century mathematician Ibn al-Salah, and is reproduced here in Arabic with an annotated English translation. Rescher also explores the history and importance of the syllogistic figures in the evolution of logic in Islamic and European cultures, and discusses the debate about the actual number of syllogistic figures.