To proceed: this is a treatise on . In it we have set out what anyone beginning any of the sciences needs to have at hand, seeking the help of God, exalted is He; He is the one who pours out goodness and generosity.
Next, an is either , one whose part is not meant to signify a part of its meaning, like “human”; or composite, one that is not so, like “thrower of stones”.
A is either , one whose meaning, merely by being , does not exclude being shared by many, like “human”; or , one whose meaning, merely by being conceived, excludes that, like “Zayd” as a proper name.
A is either , one that enters into the of its , like “animal” relative to human and horse; or , one that is otherwise, like “laughing” relative to human.
The is either said in answer to “what is it?” by what is purely shared, like “animal” relative to human and horse: this is the , described as a said of many that differ in their , in answer to “what is it?”;
or it is said in answer to “what is it?” by what is shared and specific together, like “human” relative to Zayd and ʿAmr: this is the , described as a said of many that differ in number, not in , in answer to “what is it?”;
or it is not said in answer to “what is it?” but in answer to “which thing is it in its ?”, and it separates a thing from what shares its , like “rational” relative to human: this is the , described as a said of a thing in answer to “which thing is it in its essence?”.
Each of the two either belongs to one only, which is the , like “laughing”, potentially and actually, for human; it is described as a said accidentally of what falls under one reality only;
or it covers more than one , which is the , like “breathing”, potentially and actually, relative to human and other animals; it is described as a said accidentally of what falls under different realities.
The is a statement that signifies the of a thing. When it is composed of the thing's and proximate , like “rational animal” for human, it is the complete essential definition.
and the incomplete is composed of attributes that, taken together, belong to one only, as when we say in defining human: it walks on two feet, has broad nails, bare skin and an upright stature, and laughs by nature.
It is either , as in “Zayd is a writer”; or and , as in “If the sun has risen, it is day”; or conditional and , as in “A number is either even or odd.”
Each of the two is either , as in the examples given; or with a , as in “Every human is a writer” and “No human is a writer”; or with a quantifier, as in “Some human is a writer” and “Some human is not a writer”; or neither, and then it is called , as in “Man is a writer” and “Man is not a writer.”
It either excludes both being together and both being absent, as in the example given; or excludes only their being together, as in “This thing is either a tree or a stone”; or excludes only their both being absent, as in “Zayd is either in the sea or not drowning.”
is the difference of two in and such that, of itself, it requires one to be true and the other false, as in “Zayd is a writer” and “Zayd is not a writer.”
The of a is the , as in “Every human is an animal” and “Some human is not an animal”; and the contradictory of a is the , as in “No human is an animal” and “Some human is an animal.”
Between two there is only when they differ in quantity, because two can both be false, as in “Every human is a writer” and “No human is a writer”, and two can both be true, as in “Some human is a writer” and “Some human is not a writer.”
The does not as a : “Every human is an animal” is true, but “Every animal is human” is not. It converts as a : when we say “Every human is an animal”, “Some animal is human” is true, for we find the to be something described as both human and animal, so some animal is human.
The likewise as a , by the same . The converts as a universal negative, and that is evident by itself: if “No human is a stone” is true, then “No stone is human” is true.
It is either , as in “Every body is composite, and everything composite came to be, so every body came to be”; or , as in “If the sun has risen, it is day; but it is not day, so the sun has not risen.”
What recurs in both of the is called the ; the of the sought is called the , and its the . The premise containing the minor term is called the , the one containing the major term the , and the form of their arrangement is called the .
The are four, because if the is the in the and the in the , that is the first figure; if it is the predicate in both, the second; if the subject in both, the third; and if the subject in the minor and the predicate in the major, the fourth.
The perfect , whose is evident, is the first; the fourth is very far from natural thinking. Someone of sound nature and sound mind does not need to bring the second back to the first. The second produces only when its differ in and .
Its are four. First: every body is composite, and everything composite came to be, so every body came to be. Second: every body is composite, and nothing composite is eternal, so no body is eternal. Third: some body is composite, and everything composite came to be, so some body came to be. Fourth: some body is composite, and nothing composite is eternal, so some body is not eternal.
The is composed either of two , as above; or of two , as in “If the sun has risen, it is day; and if it is day, the earth is lit”, which produces “If the sun has risen, the earth is lit”;
or of two , as in “Every number is either even or odd, and every even number is either evenly even or oddly even”, which produces “Every number is either odd, evenly even or oddly even”;
or of a and a , as in “Whenever this is a human, it is an animal; and every animal is a body”, which produces “Whenever this is a human, it is a body”;
or of a and a , as in “Every number is either even or odd, and every even number divides into two equal parts”, which produces “Every number is either odd or divides into two equal parts”;
or of a and a , as in “Whenever this is a human, it is an animal; and every animal is either white or black”, which produces “Whenever this is a human, it is either white or black.”
And affirming the of the produces the contradictory of the , as in “If this is a human, it is an animal; but it is not an animal, so it is not a human.”
If it is , affirming one of the two parts produces the of the other, as in “A number is either even or odd; but it is even”, which produces “It is not odd”; or “but it is odd”, which produces “It is not even.” And affirming the contradictory of one of them produces the other.
are of several kinds. , as in “One is half of two” and “The whole is greater than the part”; , as in “The sun is shining” and “Fire burns”; , as in “Scammony purges bile”;
, as in “The light of the moon comes from the light of the sun”; reports, as in “Muḥammad, God bless him and give him peace, claimed prophethood, and miracles appeared at his hands”; and that carry their proofs with them, as in “Four is even”, because of a present in the mind: being divisible into two equal parts.