− | William's main work is a small logic manual, ''Introductiones in logicam''. It survives in a single manuscript probably written in the late thirteenth century, headed 'Introductiones Magistri Guilli. De Shyreswode in Logicam', (''[[Bibliotheque Nationale]], [[Directory:Logic Museum/Paris. B. Nat. lat. 16617|Cod. Lat.'' 16617]], formerly ''Codex Sorbonnensis'' 1797). It did not appear fully in print until 1937, in Grabman's Latin edition, and was not translated into English until 1966, by Kretzmann. No other works than are definitely by him have ever been printed. | + | William's main work is a small logic manual, ''Introductiones in logicam''. It survives in a single manuscript probably written in the late thirteenth century, headed 'Introductiones Magistri Guilli. De Shyreswode in Logicam', (''[[Paris Bibliotheque Nationale Lat.|Bibliotheque Nationale]], [[Directory:Logic Museum/Paris. B. Nat. lat. 16617|Cod. Lat. 16617]]'', formerly ''Codex Sorbonnensis'' 1797). It did not appear fully in print until 1937, in Grabman's Latin edition, and was not translated into English until 1966, by Kretzmann. No other works than are definitely by him have ever been printed. |
| The book consists of Six Chapters. Five of these are expositions of Aristotle's main logical works, as follows: 1. 'Statements', corresponding to ''[[De Interpretatione]]'', 2. 'The Predicables', corresponding to ''[[Categories (Aristotle)|Categories]]'', 3. 'Syllogism', corresponding to ''[[Prior Analytics]]'', 4. 'Dialectical Reasoning' corresponding to ''[[Topics (Aristotle)|Topics]]'', and 6. 'Sophistical Reasoning' corresponding to ''[[Sophistical Refutations]]''. However, Chapter 5, 'Properties of Terms', contains material that is not in Aristotle, but is a distinctively medieval development, ([[Supposition theory]]) that deals with the semantics of propositions. The theory attempts to explain how the truth of simple sentences, expressed schematically, depend on how the terms 'supposit' or ''stand for'' certain extra-linguistic items, and tries to address the problem of sentential forms, like 'I promise you a horse', which do not appear to fit the standard syllogistic forms. | | The book consists of Six Chapters. Five of these are expositions of Aristotle's main logical works, as follows: 1. 'Statements', corresponding to ''[[De Interpretatione]]'', 2. 'The Predicables', corresponding to ''[[Categories (Aristotle)|Categories]]'', 3. 'Syllogism', corresponding to ''[[Prior Analytics]]'', 4. 'Dialectical Reasoning' corresponding to ''[[Topics (Aristotle)|Topics]]'', and 6. 'Sophistical Reasoning' corresponding to ''[[Sophistical Refutations]]''. However, Chapter 5, 'Properties of Terms', contains material that is not in Aristotle, but is a distinctively medieval development, ([[Supposition theory]]) that deals with the semantics of propositions. The theory attempts to explain how the truth of simple sentences, expressed schematically, depend on how the terms 'supposit' or ''stand for'' certain extra-linguistic items, and tries to address the problem of sentential forms, like 'I promise you a horse', which do not appear to fit the standard syllogistic forms. |