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PaperclipPerfector  5mo ago (text post)   4463 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for June 16, 2024

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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Let's say you have a statement:

If A, then B.

There are two syllogisms that can be derived from this statement, one of which is referred to as Modus Ponens and the other of which is Modus Tollens.

Modus Ponens:

  1. If A, then B
  2. A
  3. Therefore, B

Modus Tollens:

  1. If A, then B
  2. Not B
  3. Therefore, not A

Where the statement / joke comes in is when you start making an actual argument where the two people agree on the conditional, but one is arguing that A is true and the other is arguing that B is false. Let's say something like:

If morality is objective, there is a God.

The first person takes the objectivity of morality as proof that God exists, but the second person takes the non-existence of God as proof that morality can't be objective. Despite both parties accepting the conditional, they still believe different things.

Thanks, I think that's the best explanation of the three, if I understood it right. A mutually agreeable statement if A, then B can mean that either B is true, or A is false, depending on your other beliefs, right?

Right, so the expression comes from that fact -- the mutually agreed upon statement points in two directions. One person can say "Aha, so we know that B is true." and the other person can say "Aha, so we know that A is false."

I just made a connection after somebody linked here in the main thread. At least in some cases, this is actually just yes_chad.jpg in high register!

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