Philosophy of Being and Knowledge

Logic (Philosophy of Thought)

Judgment

Judgment represents a second form of thought, where through affirmation, it unites two concepts, or through negation, it separates them. Judgments are characterized by their matter and form. The matter of a judgment consists of its components, namely the concepts that the judgment reveals the relationship between. A simple judgment consists of three elements: two concepts and a link. The concepts within a judgment are called the terms of the judgment.

• The first term is referred to as the subject (from the Latin subjectum, meaning "that which is under"), and is abbreviated with the Latin letter "S." • The second term is known as the predicate (from the Latin praedicatum, meaning "attribute"), and is abbreviated with the Latin letter "P." • The third element is the link (copula), whose role is to express the type of relationship between the concepts.

The form of a judgment is the nature of the relationship between the concepts within it, which is expressed by the link. Since the relationship between concepts in a judgment can be of two types, the link can take two forms:

• Affirmative Judgment: This expresses a connection between the concepts, thus uniting them. Affirmative judgments are written in the form "S is P" (e.g., "The book is in the library," "Taras Shevchenko is a Ukrainian poet"). • Negative Judgment: This denies the connection between its terms, thus separating them. Negative judgments are written in the form "S is not P" (e.g., "The book is not in the library," "The table is not wooden").

Judgments are also divided into simple and complex:

• Simple Judgments: These consist of a single subject, a single predicate, and a link (e.g., "A person is a living being"). • Complex Judgments: These combine several simple judgments and link them with logical connectors (e.g., "A square is a rectangle and a rhombus").

The fundamental characteristic of a judgment is its truth value. Unlike other forms of thought, a judgment can be either true or false. For instance, a concept does not have a truth value on its own, as it is not in any relation by itself. Concepts cannot be true or false; only the relationship between concepts, which is expressed in a judgment, can be true or false. A judgment is true if it represents a relationship between concepts that actually exists among the objects thought of in those concepts. Conversely, a judgment is false if it represents a relationship between concepts that does not actually exist among the objects considered in those concepts.