Modus ponens
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In propositional logic, modus ponens (MP; also modus ponendo ponens (Latin for "mode that affirms by affirming") or implication elimination) is a rule of inference. It can be summarized as "P implies Q and P are both asserted to be true, so therefore Q must be true."
Modus ponens is closely related to another valid form of argument, modus tollens. Both have apparently similar but invalid forms such as affirming the consequent, denying the antecedent, and evidence of absence. Constructive dilemma is the disjunctive version of modus ponens. Hypothetical syllogism is closely related to modus ponens and sometimes thought of as "double modus ponens."
The history of modus ponens goes back to antiquity. The first to explicitly describe the argument form modus ponens was Theophrastus.
See also