Diagramming Conditional Logic

[tholbein]

I was wondering if anyone could help me understand diagrammig passages using conditional logic. For example, I am able to correctly identify the premise(s) and conclusions; however, I struggle with condensing complexe conditional statements into a few words (or more specifically, a letter). When I go back to link together what I am diagramming, I either have too many letters:

(ex: If we thought the outcome of history were inevitable, we would not work so hard to transform institutions of capitalist society. But to transform them we must first understand them, and we can only understand them by an analysis of their history,. This is why historical analysis is important in socialist argument).

I am able to grasp this concept when it can be put in A-->B notation, however, I struggle with identifying other elements of the argument. My question would be how do you identify all of the letters in an argument to make a conditional chain? The transitive property makes sense. It's the other ones where X is A, X is B....etc) ANy help will be greatly appreciated.

[Adam Tyson]

The answer is to keep it simple, tholbein. Use a word, or a phrase, or a letter or combination of letters that makes sense to you and which will help remind you of what concept or phrase you are dealing with. There's no fixed rule for how to do it - you have to play with it and figure out for yourself what works best.

Here's what I see when I look at your sample:

If we thought the outcome of history were inevitable, we would not work so hard to transform institutions of capitalist society.

I see "Inevitable -> Transform"

But to transform them we must first understand them, and we can only understand them by an analysis of their history

I see "Transform->Understand->Analysis" (and I see that there may be some sort of connection between them around "transform," but I am not yet sure what it is)

This is why historical analysis is important in socialist argument

I don't see this as conditional, because "important" does not mean "necessary." But maybe there is a connection to the second conditional chain, because they both include the idea of Historical Analysis. Depending on the question stem, I would be looking for a link between "socialist argument" and something in that chain, maybe connecting it somehow to transforming capitalist institutions.

However you choose to diagram, be sure that it works for you. One letter, one word, a whole phrase - anything can work, but lean into simpler representations of complex ideas, just so long as you don't simplify them so much that they lose all meaning! They are shorthand reminders for what was in the stimulus, rather than wholesale replacements, and you will often need to look back to the stimulus to distinguish between two answers that sound similar in order to see which one accurately captures the concept and which one is playing a shell game with the concept and thereby misrepresenting it.

Keep practicing, you'll get to where it works best for you!

[tholbein]

That makes total sense/. I really appreciate your feedback.

[Mmjd12]

Hi again PowerScore,

I'm finding a little trouble diagramming conditional statements containing the word "since." Is it a sufficient or necessary indicator?

For example:

- Since the tide is no higher than usual, there must not have been full moon last night.

I would diagram this as:

tide higher than usual full moon last night

Because the term must indicates a necessary condition.

Or this example:

- Ann will leave work early today, since she completed all of her tasks.

I would diagram this as:

Completed all of her tasks leave work early


I feel that the word "since" actually doesn't play a role as neither sufficient or necessary indictor, and it's only used for the grammar of the sentence. Is this correct or am I overlooking something?

[Jeff Wren]

Hi Mmjd,

The word "since" is not a conditional indicator. It is a premise indicator.

In the examples that you gave, each sentence contains a conclusion and a premise. The premise, or support for the conclusion, directly follows the word "since" in each sentence.

It's best to keep these two concepts separate to avoid any confusion.