Analytic synthetic distinction:

Analytic synthetic distinction is used in philosophy in order to distinguish the two different propositions namely analytic propositions and synthetic propositions. The main difference between the analytic propositions and the synthetic propositions is that the analytic propositions are simply true of their meaning but synthetic propositions are not like that. Many philosophers starting from Willard Van Orman Quine’s critique in the 1951 have debated whether there is a difference between the analytic propositions and synthetic propositions.

The renowned philosopher Immanuel Kant was the first one to use the terms “synthetic” and “analytic” in order to divide the propositions into types. His work Introduction to Critique of Pure Reason has introduced the distinction between analytic and synthetic propositions.

Another difference is that analytic proposition can be said as a proposition whose subject concept contains the predicate concept whereas the synthetic proposition is a proposition where the subject concept doesn’t contain the predicate concept.

For example, if you say “All bachelors are unmarried.” Then it is an analytic proposition.

The concept “unmarried” is contained in the concept “bachelor” since the concept “unmarried” is itself a part of the definition of the concept “bachelor”.

On the other hand, the best example for synthetic propositions can be “All bachelors are unhappy”. Here, the predicate concept is not contained in the subject concept. The concept “happy” is not contained in the concept “bachelor”. Similarly unhappy is in no way part of the definition of the concept “bachelor”.

In his work Introduction to the Critique of Pure Reason Kant has argued that figuring out how analytic propositions knowledge is possible is not a problem. There is no for one to be experienced in order to know the analytic proposition. Instead one has to adhere to the principle of contradiction and the required predicate while taking the subject. He has to take the subject and extract from it according to the principle of contradiction.

A group of philosopher took interest in Kent after hundred years and they analyzed the distinction between the synthetic propositions and the analytic propositions. These philosophers were called logical positivists.

The possibility of synthetic is partly examined on the basis of mathematic propositions namely

“7+5 = 12” (B15-16)

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

According to Kant, the concept 12 is not contained in the concept 7 or in the concept 5 not even in the concept +. Similarly the concept the shortest distance between two points does have the concept straight line.  So, it is synthetic propositions.

Questions

• What is the purpose of analytic-synthetic propositions?
• What is the difference between analytic and synthetic propositions according to Kant?