2016-10-25, 9 00 PM Necessary and Sufficient Conditions 1

Necessary and Sufficient Conditions 1
2016-10-25, 9*00 PM
Necessary and Sufficient Conditions

Many arguments you are likely to encounter can be analysed, understood, and evaluated in
terms of what are called necessary and sufficient conditions. Learning to identify necessary
and sufficient conditions is therefore a very powerful tool since it will enable you to recognise
bad arguments quickly, and enable you to ensure that your own arguments are good ones.
The most common type of argument that employs necessary and sufficient conditions is the
conditional argument. A conditional argument contains at least one premise that is what is
called a conditional statement.
https://mylearningspace.wlu.ca/content/enforced/194127-692.2016092lSessionVal=UHaLdycBlH2xLC9l4GcPjiHUR&ou=194127&d2l_body_type=3
Page 1 of 1
Conditional Statements
2016-10-25, 9*01 PM
Conditional Statements
A conditional statement is one in which it is claimed that something is or will be the case
provided that some other situation obtains. These are also sometimes called hypothetical
statements because they say what would happen if, hypothetically, something else were to
happen.
Most conditional statements take the following form:
If x then y
where x and y each stand for particular propositions.
Example
If I win the lottery, then I will retire to the Bahamas.
This asserts that, on the condition that I win the lottery, something else will happen; namely, I
will retire to the Bahamas. This claim can be true even if I never do win the lottery. All that
matters is that if the first thing were to happen (I win the lottery) we know for sure that the
second thing will happen (I'll retire to the Bahamas).
The part of the conditional claim that follows the word if (I win the lottery) is called the
antecedent (meaning comes before ), and the second part, that follows the word then (I will
retire to the Bahamas) is called the consequent (meaning comes after ).
When I say that if I win the lottery, then I will retire to the Bahamas, I am saying that there is
a special logical relationship between these two propositions:
I win the lottery
I will retire to the Bahamas.
The nature of this logical relationship is expressed in terms of necessary and sufficient
conditions.
What we are saying in the conditional claim is that my winning the lottery is enough to ensure
that I will retire to the Bahamas. We express this by saying that my winning the lottery is
sufficient for my retiring to the Bahamas. We are also saying that my retiring to the Bahamas
is a necessary consequence of my winning the lottery, or that my retiring to the Bahamas is
necessary for my winning the lottery.
Page 1 of 1
Necessary and Sufficient Conditions Defined
2016-10-25, 9*02 PM
We can define necessary and sufficient conditions as follows:

Sufficient Conditions
A sufficient condition is a state of affairs that, once true, is enough for something else to be
true.
If X is sufficient for Y, then if X is true, Y is true.
Necessary Conditions
A necessary condition is a state of affairs that must be true in order for something else to be
true but is not enough to make something else true.
If X is necessary for Y, then if X is not true, Y is not true.
Let's look at a different example to illustrate these concepts.
Example
Being a bachelor is a sufficient condition for being male.
If we know that something is a bachelor, then we also know with absolute certainty that it is a
male. Since there can be no doubt about this, it is enough (i.e., sufficient) to know that
something is a bachelor to know that it is also male.
If we know that someone is male, can we draw the conclusion that he is a bachelor? No. Just
because Tom, for instance, is male, this does not give us an absolute guarantee that he is a
bachelor because he might be married. So, while it is true that in order to be a bachelor you
must be male, being male isn't enough for being a bachelor.
We would say, then, that being male is necessary for being a bachelor, but is not sufficient for
being a bachelor. That is, if Dan is a bachelor, then it is a necessary consequence that he is
male (we know this for sure). But if all we know about Dan is that he is male, we don't know
whether or not he is a bachelor. Being male, then, is not sufficient for being a bachelor.
Let's say we know that Allan is a bachelor. What else can we say about Allan with absolute
certainty? We know that Allan must be male and we also know that he must be unmarried. In
other words, being a bachelor is sufficient for being male and is sufficient for being unmarried.
We've already seen that being male, although necessary for being a bachelor, is not sufficient
for being a bachelor. What is the relationship between being unmarried and being a bachelor?
Is being unmarried sufficient for being a bachelor? No. Keitha is unmarried but isn't a bachelor
because she is a woman. Being unmarried, then, is necessary but is not sufficient for being a
bachelor.
When do we know for sure that someone is a bachelor? Only when we know that person is
both male and unmarried. Hence, being male is necessary for being a bachelor, being
unmarried is also necessary for being a bachelor, and being male and unmarried are jointly
sufficient for being a bachelor.
All of these relationships can be expressed in the form of the following conditional claims:
Page 1 of 2
Necessary and Sufficient Conditions Defined
2016-10-25, 9*02 PM
1. If John is a bachelor, then John is male.

This means John's being a bachelor is sufficient for John's being male.
AND
John's being male is necessary for John's being a bachelor.
2. If John is a bachelor, then John is unmarried.

This means John's being a bachelor is sufficient for John's being unmarried.
AND
John's being unmarried is necessary for John's being a bachelor.
Page 2 of 2
Classes
2016-10-25, 10)19 PM
Classes
These logical relationships can also be understood in terms of the relations between classes of
objects. A class is a group of objects that share a particular characteristic. Dogs is a class of
objects that contains all dogs, regardless of what kind of dogs they are. Things with hair, is a
larger class of objects that includes the entire class of dogs within it as well as the class Cats,
Hamsters, Humans, and so on. Things that are faithful is another class that may include all
dogs, some humans, but not cats or hamsters. Any one thing can be a member of many
different classes. For instance, my dog is a member of the class of pets, of things with hair,
things that smell, things that eat, and many other classes.
A simple way to represent the relationship between classes is in terms of the following
diagram:
This diagram represents the claim that the entire class of objects A is included within the class
of objects B.
Above, we said that the class Dogs, is included within the class of objects Things with hair. We
can represent this with a similar diagram:
Things with Hair
Dogs
This shows us that while everything that is a dog is a thing with hair, not everything that is a
thing with hair is a dog.
Most people don't express this idea so awkwardly. Usually people say something like "All dogs
are hairy". This is a more natural way of saying exactly the same thing.
This also expresses a relationship between things that can be understood in terms of
necessary and sufficient conditions. To say that all dogs are hairy is to say that being a dog is
sufficient for being hairy, and that being hairy is necessary for being a dog. In our diagrams
above, being a member of the class represented by the smaller circle is always sufficient for
Page 1 of 2
Classes
2016-10-25, 10)19 PM
being a member of the class represented by the larger circle, and being a member of the
larger circle is always necessary for being a member of the smaller circle.
Necessary Condition
Sufficient
Condition
We saw earlier that being male is necessary for being a bachelor and that being a bachelor is
sufficient for being male. This can also be expressed by saying "All bachelors are male". We
can now represent this claim using a diagram like the ones above:
Males
Bachelors
Sometimes one might express this idea in a different way. Instead of saying "All bachelors are
male," one might say, "Only men are bachelors". Once again, even though the words used are
different, this is saying exactly the same thing. To say that only men are bachelors is to say
that there are no bachelors that are not men, or that the class of bachelors is entirely enclosed
within the class of men.
If you find it helpful to use these diagrams to determine necessary and sufficient conditions,
remember this simple rule:
All inside; only outside.
Only
All
Page 2 of 2
Other Forms of Conditional Claims
2016-10-25, 10)18 PM

We saw earlier that conditional claims usually take the form
If x then y
where x (the antecedent) is sufficient for y (the consequent) and y is necessary for x.
Sometimes conditional claims take a slightly different form from this. Look at the following
example:
I'll tear you a new one if you keep talking.
Notice that this does not have the standard form if x then y. The word if appears in the middle
of the sentence and the word then doesn't appear at all. Nevertheless, this is still a conditional
claim. What follows the word if is still the antecedent and is also still the sufficient condition.
The rest is the consequent and the necessary condition.
Thus, we have the following relationships:
Your keeping talking is sufficient for my tearing you a new one.
My tearing you a new one is necessary for your keeping talking.
The only time what follows the word if in a conditional claim is not the sufficient condition is
when the word only precedes the word if .
Another form of conditional claim, then, is this:
x only if y
Example
I'll laugh only if you wear those pants.
Your wearing those pants is necessary for my laughing.
My laughing is sufficient for your wearing those pants.
Negation
Often a conditional statement will contain a negation. There are two rules you should learn to
help you deal with negation.
Rule 1
If A is necessary for B, then not A is sufficient for not B
Example
If being male is necessary for being a bachelor, then not being a male is sufficient for not
being a bachelor. Anything that isn't a male cannot be a bachelor.
Page 1 of 4
2016-10-25, 10)18 PM
Rule 2
If B is sufficient for A, not B is necessary for not A.
Example
If being a bachelor is sufficient for being a male, then not being a bachelor is necessary for not
being a male.
Unless
Some conditional claims include the word unless. I am going to diverge from the textbook
here and give you a much easier and more reliable method for dealing with these kinds of
claims. What LeBlanc tells you in the textbook is fine, but it will often lead you into trouble
because it frequently requires additional steps involving negation. So make it easy for yourself
and use the following method. Since I use this myself, my questions on the quiz are most
easily resolved using this approach (hint, hint).
If the premise of an argument employs unless, the easiest way to identify the necessary and
sufficient conditions is to translate the statement into standard conditional form (if x then y).
Here are two simple steps to help you do this.
1. Take what follows unless, negate it and make it the antecedent in the new
2.
conditional claim.
The rest of the original claim takes the place of the consequent.
Example
You can't go outside unless you put on your pants.
What follows unless is you put on your pants . So we take this, negate it and make it the
antecedent in the new conditional claim as follows:
If you don't put on your pants, then
Now, take the rest of the original claim, just as it is (don't change anything), and make it the
consequent in your new conditional claim by placing it after the word then. You end up with
this:
If you don't put on your pants, then you can't go outside.
Now that the claim is in standard conditional form it is much easier to identify the necessary
and sufficient conditions.
Your not putting on your pants is sufficient for your not going outside.
Your not going outside is necessary for your not putting on your pants.
You can use these two steps to deal with any conditional claim including unless . Here are all
of the possible equivalences:
Page 2 of 4
2016-10-25, 10)18 PM
A unless B
If not B then A
A unless not B
If B then A
Not A unless B
If not B then not A
Not A unless not B
If B then not A
Unless A then B
If not A then B
Unless A then not B
If not A then not B
Unless not A then B
If A then B
Unless not A then not B
If A then not B
Example
Unless John does not hurl, we'll be thrown out of the bar.
To identify the necessary and sufficient conditions, first put this into standard conditional form.
If John does hurl, then we will be thrown out of the bar.
John's hurling is sufficient for our being thrown out of the bar.
Our being thrown out of the bar is necessary for John hurling.
Example
You can't keep your kneecaps unless you pay your debt.
Put this into standard conditional form using the method outlined above:
If you do not pay your debt, then you can't keep your kneecaps.
Your not paying your debt is sufficient for not keeping your kneecaps.
Your not keeping your kneecaps is necessary for not paying your debt.
Example
You can't have any dessert unless you eat your meat.
Since this contains the word unless , translate it into standard conditional form.
If you don't eat your meat, then you can't have any dessert.
Not eating your meat is sufficient for your not having any dessert.
Not having any dessert is necessary for your not eating your meat.
Definition and Identity
Sometimes a single condition can be both necessary and sufficient. In this case A is both
Necessary and Sufficient for B, and B is both Necessary and Sufficient for A.
Page 3 of 4
2016-10-25, 10)18 PM
If Batman is identical to Bruce Wayne, then being Bruce Wayne is both necessary and
sufficient for being Batman, and being Batman is both necessary and sufficient for being Bruce
Wayne.
Similarly, if water is defined as H2O, then being water is sufficient for being H2O and being
H2O is sufficient for being water.
Definitions and identities are sometimes expressed as conditional claims using the phrase if
and only if .
Examples
X is water if and only if X is H2O.
X is Batman if and only if X is Bruce Wayne.
Page 4 of 4

2016-10-25, 9 00 PM Necessary and Sufficient Conditions 1

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

2016-10-25, 9 00 PM Necessary and Sufficient Conditions 1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Necessary and Sufficient Conditions 1

Necessary and Sufficient Conditions

Necessary and Sufficient Conditions Defined

We can define necessary and sufficient conditions as follows:

Necessary and Sufficient Conditions Defined

1. If John is a bachelor, then John is male.

2. If John is a bachelor, then John is unmarried.

Things with Hair

Other Forms of Conditional Claims

Other Forms of Conditional Claims

Other Forms of Conditional Claims

Other Forms of Conditional Claims

If not B then not A

Not A unless not B

Unless A then not B

If not A then not B

Unless not A then B

Unless not A then not B

Other Forms of Conditional Claims

You might also like