Subject: Logic deemed illogical! Area man protests.
From: Sean Draine (seandr@Exchange.Microsoft.com)
Date: Sat Jan 08 2000 - 01:13:34 EST
Matt:
"You'll agree (I think) that logic and rationality are constructed
(not inevitable realities or universal truths that are self-evident and
self-sufficient, making no appeals to arbiters outside of themselves,
etc.)."
I must disagree! Logic is a property of the universe that humans have
discovered, not constructed. That would certainly make logic 'universal',
although I'm not sure about 'inevitable'. Whether or not logic is
'self-evident' is irrelevant. Self-sufficient? I'm not sure, but when
applied correctly, logic will allow you to draw conclusions that follow from
a set of assumptions.
Consider that cornerstone of formal logic, the principle of transitivity: if
a > b and b > c, well then a > c. I maintain that transitivity holds for all
quantities a, b, and c. It holds regardless whether it has us as an
audience. It holds even when we tell it not to hold. Against all odds, it
holds!
-Sean
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