Entailment vs. Presupposition — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on September 24, 2023
Entailment is a relationship between two sentences where the truth of one guarantees the truth of the other. Presupposition is an assumption or condition that must be accepted for a statement to be understood or evaluated.
Difference Between Entailment and Presupposition
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Key Differences
Entailment in linguistics or logic refers to a relationship between two statements where the truth of one implies or guarantees the truth of another. For instance, if "All men are mortal" is true, then "Socrates is mortal" must also be true, given that Socrates is a man. Entailment deals with the logical consequences that naturally follow a premise.
Presupposition, on the other hand, is more about underlying assumptions that must be accepted for a statement to make sense. When someone says, "Have you stopped smoking?", the presupposition is that the person used to smoke. This is not about logical necessity but about background conditions that are assumed to be true for the main statement to be meaningful.
In entailment, the focus is on logical validity and consistency. It operates on the level of truth conditions between statements and is often subject to verification. If the premise is true and the entailment is logically sound, then the conclusion must be true.
Presupposition is less concerned with logical validity and more with how language is used in context. It looks at what is taken for granted or assumed in communication. While entailments can be straightforwardly true or false, presuppositions exist in a more complex relationship with truth, often being difficult to label as strictly true or false.
Comparison Chart
Focus
Logical validity
Background assumptions
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Truth Conditions
Direct
Indirect
Context
Not context-dependent
Context-dependent
Verification
Subject to verification
Often not verifiable
Grammatical Elements Involved
Statements, sentences
Phrases, contextual clues
Compare with Definitions
Entailment
Implication
Being a square entails having four equal sides.
Presupposition
Underlying assumption
Have you quit smoking? presupposes you used to smoke.
Entailment
Deduction
Having a fever entails being ill.
Presupposition
Contextual basis
Taking the medicine presupposes a diagnosis.
Entailment
Necessary condition
Passing the test entails studying.
Presupposition
Implicit belief
She is baking again presupposes she has baked before.
Entailment
Conditional truth
If it is raining, it entails that the ground is wet.
Presupposition
Semantic requirement
Knowing the answer presupposes a question has been asked.
Entailment
To have, impose, or require as a necessary accompaniment or consequence
The investment entailed a high risk. The proposition X is a rose entails the proposition X is a flower because all roses are flowers.
Presupposition
In the branch of linguistics known as pragmatics, a presupposition (or PSP) is an implicit assumption about the world or background belief relating to an utterance whose truth is taken for granted in discourse. Examples of presuppositions include: Jane no longer writes fiction.
Entailment
To limit the inheritance of (property) to a specified succession of heirs.
Presupposition
To believe or suppose in advance
"In passing moral judgments ... we presuppose that a man's actions, and hence also his being a good or a bad man, are in his power" (Leo Strauss).
Entailment
To bestow or impose on a person or a specified succession of heirs.
Presupposition
To require or involve necessarily as an antecedent condition
"The term tax relief ... presupposes a conceptual metaphor.
Entailment
The act of entailing, especially property.
Presupposition
An assumption made beforehand; a preliminary conjecture or speculation.
Entailment
The state of being entailed.
Presupposition
The act of presupposing.
Entailment
An entailed estate.
Presupposition
(linguistics) An assumption or belief implicit in an utterance or other use of language.
Entailment
A predetermined order of succession, as to an estate or to an office.
Presupposition
The act of presupposing; an antecedent implication; presumption.
Entailment
Something transmitted as if by unalterable inheritance.
Presupposition
That which is presupposed; a previous supposition or surmise.
Entailment
The act of entailing, the state of being entailed, or something that is entailed.
Entailment does not imply causation: if a set of premisses entail a conclusion, that does not mean (necessarily) that they cause that conclusion to be true.
An argument hinges upon entailment whereas an if-then sentence hinges upon implication.
Presupposition
The act of presupposing; a supposition made prior to having knowledge (as for the purpose of argument)
Entailment
The act of entailing or of giving, as an estate, and directing the mode of descent.
Presupposition
Precondition
Before going to the movies, one presupposes tickets are available.
Entailment
The condition of being entailed.
Entailment
A thing entailed.
Brutality as an hereditary entailment becomes an ever weakening force.
Entailment
Something that is inferred (deduced or entailed or implied);
His resignation had political implications
Entailment
Logical consequence
The sun rising entails that it is morning.
Common Curiosities
Does entailment require context?
Entailment typically does not require context for understanding.
What is entailment?
Entailment is a logical relationship where the truth of one statement guarantees the truth of another.
What is presupposition?
Presupposition involves assumptions that must be accepted for a statement to be understood.
Is presupposition verifiable?
Presuppositions are often not straightforwardly verifiable.
Is entailment always true?
If the premise is true and the entailment logical, then the conclusion must be true.
Is presupposition context-dependent?
Yes, presuppositions are often context-dependent.
Can entailment be conditional?
Yes, entailments can exist as conditional truths.
Are presuppositions always explicit?
No, presuppositions are often implicit.
How is presupposition used in communication?
In communication, presupposition is used to imply underlying assumptions.
Are entailment and presupposition the same?
While both relate to the meaning of statements, they operate on different levels and are not the same.
Can you give an example of entailment?
"Being a mother entails having a child."
Can you give an example of presupposition?
"Do you want to do it again?" presupposes you've done it before.
How is entailment used in logic?
In logic, entailment is used to deduce conclusions from premises.
Can presuppositions be questioned?
Yes, but questioning a presupposition often changes the nature of the conversation.
Can entailments be false?
Entailments are either valid or invalid based on logical consistency.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
