Consider the argument:
|
If p, then q. |
If God had wanted us to fly, He would have given us wings. |
Not-q.
|
He has not given us wings.
|
|
Therefore, not-p. |
Therefore, He did not want us to fly. |
If we assume that q is false, we can infer that p is false--for
if p were not false (i.e., if it were true), then q could not
have been false either.
In this case, we denied the consequent, and that allowed
us to deny the antecedent. Once again, the conclusion is a
categorical proposition.