logical consequence

A term used in formal logic, and often encountered in SEMANTIC theory, for the relation between the premises of a VALID argument and its conclusion. A PROPOSITION p is a logical consequence of a proposition q if and only if there is a valid argument with q as its premise and p as its conclusion. The term is often understood to encompass only those cases where the argument is valid by virtue of to its general form, hence excluding examples of ENTAILMENT in which the meaning of non-LOGICAL CONSTANTS plays a crucial role.