Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!ads.com!saturn!rar From: rar@saturn.ads.com (Bob Riemenschneider) Newsgroups: comp.ai Subject: Re: K. T. Fann's thesis on abduction. Message-ID: Date: 10 May 91 23:15:41 GMT References: <8409@uceng.UC.EDU> Sender: usenet@ads.com (USENET News) Organization: Advanced Decision Systems, Mountain View, CA 94043, +1 (415) 960-7300 Lines: 17 In-Reply-To: skhadye@uceng.UC.EDU's message of 10 May 91 17:31:15 GMT "Barbara" refers to the following (valid) mode of the syllogism: All A's are B's All B's are C's --------------- All A's are C's In teaching "classical logic", vowels `A', `E', `I', and `O' are associated the "All", "No", "Some", and "Some not" of the Aristotelean square of opposition. Then consonants are added to the vowel triplets corresponding to valid modes, making names (e.g., "AAA" -> "bArbArA") which are used as a mnemonic. Nobody seems to learn them all -- or worry much about the theory of the syllogism for that matter -- these days, but somehow "Barbara" alone has survived as common logical parlance. -- rar