Aristotle's modal syllogistic (Q2922538)

The book deals with Aristotle's modal syllogistic, a part of his logic that most authors repute to be incoherent, but its scope spreads beyond this main theme, and deals with syntax and semantics of the whole syllogistic. The first part considers the basic assertoric syllogistic, the second the apodeictic (i.e. dealing with necessity) and the third part the problematic syllogistic (about possibility and contingency). Three appendices (Aristotle's claim of validity, invalidity and inconcludence; The predicable semantics of the modal syllogistic; Aristotle's terms) complete the book. The semantical concern entails the introduction of metaphysical themes (essence and substance terms, categories, genera and species), and the orthodox set-theoretical semantics is rightly and convincingly extended to a heterodox preorder semantics. The connection with Aristotle's natural philosophy is understated: for example the relationship between modal and temporal logic is touched in the 16th chapter only with a brief reference to the principle of plenitude, but without any reference to the future contingents, determinism, the Megarian logic and the master argument.