of all our interests, and the decision more or less makes itself. We find, for
instance, that we must, under the circumstances, select the cheapest route."
How Judgments Function in Reasoning.—Such a line of thinking is very
common to everyone, and one that we carry out in one form or another a
thousand times every day we live. When we come to look closely at the steps
involved in arriving at a conclusion, we detect a series of judgments—often not
very logically arranged, to be sure, but yet so related that the result is safely
reached in the end. We compare our concept of, say, the first route and our
concept of picturesqueness, decide they agree, and affirm the judgment, "This
route is picturesque." Likewise we arrive at the judgment, "This route is also
expensive, it is interesting, etc." Then we take the other routes and form our
judgments concerning them. These judgments are all related to each other in
some way, some of them being more intimately related than others. Which
judgments remain as the significant ones, the ones which are used to solve the
problem finally, depends on which concepts are the most vital for us with
reference to the ultimate end in view. If time is the chief element, then the form
of our reasoning would be something like this: "Two of the routes require more
than three days: hence I must take the third route." If economy is the important
end, the solution would be as follows: "Two routes cost more than $1,000; I
cannot afford to pay more than $800; I therefore must patronize the third route."
In both cases it is evident that the conclusion is reached through a comparison of
two or more judgments. This is the essential difference between judgment and
reasoning. Whereas judgment discovers relations between concepts, reasoning
discovers relations between judgments, and from this evolves a new judgment
which is the conclusion sought. The example given well illustrates the ordinary
method by which we reason to conclusions.
Deduction and the Syllogism.—Logic may take the conclusion, with the two
judgments on which it is based, and form the three into what is called a
syllogism, of which the following is a classical type:
All men are mortal;
Socrates is a man,
Therefore
Socrates is mortal.The first judgment is in the form of a proposition which is called the major
premise, because it is general in its nature, including all men. The second is the