The Modern Syllogistic Method as a Tool for Engineering Problem Solving

Abstract

We describe the steps and the main features of the modern syllogistic method, which is a very powerful technique of deductive inference.This method ferrets out from a set of premises all that can be concluded from it, with the resulting conclusions cast in the simplest or most compact form. We demonstrate the applicability of the method in a variety of engineering problems via five examples that illustrate its mathematical details and exhibit the nature of conclusions it can come up with.The method is shown to be particularly useful for detecting inconsistency within a set of given premises or hypotheses and it helps the engineer confront fallacy-based argumentation.The method is also demonstrated to yield fruitful results when combined with the safety technique known as fault-tree analysis.It is also used in selective deduction and in informed decision making.