Definition:Entailment
Definition
Entailment is the logical connective defined for statements $p$ and $q$ as follows:
Let $p$ be relevant to, and actually used in, the statement that is $q$.
Then $p$ entails $q$:
- $p \boldsymbol \prec q$
Notation
To denote that $p$ entails $q$, $\mathsf{Pr} \infty \mathsf{fWiki}$ uses the notation $p \boldsymbol \prec q$.
Sources which use the symbol $\to$ for conventional implication may then use $\implies$ for entailment.
The $\LaTeX$ code for \(p \boldsymbol \prec q\) is p \boldsymbol \prec q
.
Also see
- Results about entailment can be found here.
Historical Note
The concept of entailment was contrived as an attempt to define a logical connective which avoids the Paradoxes of Material Implication and the Paradoxes of Strict Implication.
It does this by insisting that, before $p$ can imply $q$, it must be relevant to and actually used in the definition of $q$.
Hence the Disjunctive Syllogism:
- $\neg p, p \lor q \vdash p \implies q$
is rejected.
Sources
- 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): entailment
- 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): implication: 3. (entailment)
- 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): entailment
- 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): implication: 3. (entailment)