Major premise: If a country has a participant culture, then democracy in that country will be stable.
Minor premise: Democracy in country X is stable.
Conclusion: Therefore, country X has a participant culture.
What form (what type of categorical syllogism) does this argument take?
A) affirming the antecedent
B) denying the antecedent
C) affirming the consequent
D) denying the consequent

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This argument takes the form of affirming the consequent, which is invalid. The stability of a democracy does not necessarily mean that the country has a participant culture. There could be other factors contributing to the stability of the democracy. Therefore, the conclusion cannot be logically inferred from the major and minor premises.

Major Premise: If a Country Has a Participant Culture, Then