Korean Food, Not-So-Bad-Logic-Test, and Harry Potter
What do the three items above have in common with each other? Nothing, other than the fact that they characterize my life over the last couple of weeks. Well, in the interest of being brief I will try to give you a taste of all three at once:
If studying is any indication of performance on the Logic Exam, then I would get 100%.
Studying is not any indication of performance on the logic exam.
Therefore I did not get 100%.
[Invalid, fallacy of denying the antecedent]
Either I spent my time studying or I spent my time reading the first three Harry Potter Books.
I did not spend my time studying, therefore I spent my time reading the first three Harry Potter Books.
[Valid, disjunctive syllogism]
All Koreans love to share their food.
Some of my friends are Korean.
Some of my friends love to share their food.
[Valid, categorical syllogism]
If my Korean friend sees I like a food, then she gives me more.
She sees that I like it.
She gives me more.
[Valid, Modus Ponens]
If I persist in writing in this style, then no reader will finish my blog.
Some readers have finished my blog.
Therefore I must not have persisted in writing in this style.
[Valid, Modus Tollens] [unfortanately for you this argument is valid, but not sound]
What do the three items above have in common with each other? Nothing, other than the fact that they characterize my life over the last couple of weeks. Well, in the interest of being brief I will try to give you a taste of all three at once:
If studying is any indication of performance on the Logic Exam, then I would get 100%.
Studying is not any indication of performance on the logic exam.
Therefore I did not get 100%.
[Invalid, fallacy of denying the antecedent]
Either I spent my time studying or I spent my time reading the first three Harry Potter Books.
I did not spend my time studying, therefore I spent my time reading the first three Harry Potter Books.
[Valid, disjunctive syllogism]
All Koreans love to share their food.
Some of my friends are Korean.
Some of my friends love to share their food.
[Valid, categorical syllogism]
If my Korean friend sees I like a food, then she gives me more.
She sees that I like it.
She gives me more.
[Valid, Modus Ponens]
If I persist in writing in this style, then no reader will finish my blog.
Some readers have finished my blog.
Therefore I must not have persisted in writing in this style.
[Valid, Modus Tollens] [unfortanately for you this argument is valid, but not sound]
posted by Leigh | 5:23 PM
4 Comments:
Three words: You're a fruitcake. [Half valid; use of a conjunction.]
Logic was actually one of my favorite classes during the short period of time I spent in college. Most people think I'm crazy. Maybe I am.
Anyway, good of you to update. And I DID finish the whole post!!
I finished the whole post too! That doesn't mean however, that I understood all of the words that were in it. :) That's good that you have Korean friends.... I guess. :)
Well, I think you're better than a TV show [valid; Conjunction Junction]. And I think you're funnier than Grandad thinks you are [invalid; fallacy of denying the ancestor]. Still, not everyone would have enjoyed that blog [valid AND factually correct], and I wouldn't argue with that [valid; modus schmodus].
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