PROPOSITIONS. 1 93 



4. The next of the common divisions of Propositions is 

 into Universal, Particular, Indefinite, and Singular : a distinc- 

 tion founded on the degree of generality in which the name, 

 which is the subject of the proposition, is to be understood. 

 The following are examples : 



All men are mortal Universal. 



Some men are mortal Particular. 



Man is mortal Indefinite. 



Julius Ccesar is mortal Singular. 



The proposition is Singular, when the subject is an indi- 

 vidual name. The individual name needs not be a proper name. 

 " The Founder of Christianity was crucified," is as much a 

 singular proposition as " Christ was crucified." 



When the name which is the subject of the proposition is 

 a general name, we may intend to affirm or deny the predicate, 

 either of all the things that the subject denotes, or only of 

 some. When the predicate is affirmed or denied of all and 

 each of the things denoted by the subject, the proposition is 

 universal ; when of some undefined portion of them only, it is 

 particular. Thus, All men are mortal ; Every man is mortal ; 

 are universal propositions. No man is immortal, is also an 

 universal proposition, since the predicate, immortal, is denied 

 of each and every individual denoted by the term man ; the 

 negative proposition being exactly equivalent to the following, 

 Every man is not-immortal. But " some men are wise," 

 " some men are not wise," are particular propositions ; the 

 predicate wise being in the one case affirmed and in the other 

 denied not of each and every individual denoted by the term 

 man, but only of each and every one of some portion of those 

 individuals, without specifying what portion ; for if this were 

 specified, the proposition would be changed either into a sin- 

 gular proposition, or into an universal proposition with a dif- 

 ferent subject; as, for instance, " all properly instructed men 

 are wise." There are other forms of particular propositions ; 

 as, " Most men are imperfectly educated :" it being immaterial 

 how large a portion of the subject the predicate is asserted of, 

 as long as it is left uncertain how that portion is to be distin- 

 guished from the rest. 



