Editing Term logic (section)

=== The three figures ===

Depending on the position of the middle term, Aristotle divides the syllogism into three kinds: syllogism in the first, second, and third figure.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Cambridge Companion to Aristotle |page=35 |quote=At the foundation of Aristotle's syllogistic is a theory of a specific class of arguments: arguments having as premises exactly two categorical sentences with one term in common.}}</ref> If the Middle Term is subject of one premise and predicate of the other, the premises are in the First Figure. If the Middle Term is predicate of both premises, the premises are in the Second Figure. If the Middle Term is subject of both premises, the premises are in the Third Figure.<ref>{{cite book |author=Robin Smith |title=Aristotle: Prior Analytics |page=XVIII }}</ref>

Symbolically, the Three Figures may be represented as follows:<ref>{{cite book|author=Henrik Legerlund|title=Modal Syllogistics in the Middle Ages|page=4}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
! First figure
! Second figure
! Third figure
|-
|
| Predicate&nbsp;— Subject
| Predicate&nbsp;— Subject
| Predicate&nbsp;— Subject
|-
| Major premise
| A ------------ B
| B ------------ A
| A ------------ B
|-
| Minor premise
| B ------------ C
| B ------------ C
| C ------------ B
|-
| Conclusion
| A ********** C
| A ********** C
| A ********** C
|}