Questions tagged [logic]
Questions pertaining to logical constructs
208
questions
0
votes
2
answers
73
views
Term for a false implication trap like "if you're smart you'd agree with me"?
I hear this kind of false implications pretty often, e.g.:
If you're smart you'd agree with me
People who understand the situation would all agree that ...
Anyone who says something else must be ...
- 191
-2
votes
2
answers
36
views
Use "and" and "or" in a single sentence to enable three options. Please parse [closed]
So I am trying to parse the following sentence structure:
X must provide A and B or C.
No commas are present and two coordinating conjunctions are present with no hints as to how to parse. I have ...
1
vote
0
answers
145
views
Specific type of deception or logic error
The word I'm looking for should describe a case where, during a logical argument, a person uses a word with multiple definitions in sense (1) in one part of the argument, but in another part of the ...
- 163
1
vote
3
answers
229
views
Difference between "provided that" and "unless"?
Do these two sentences mean the same?
Nothing is an offence which is done by a person who, at the time of doing it, is, by reason of intoxication, incapable of knowing the nature of the act, or that ...
- 47
0
votes
1
answer
112
views
Definition and usage of "Non-reciprocal"
What is the precise meaning of "non-reciprocal?" Two definitions of "reciprocal" taken from the Merriam-Webster dictionary are:
shared, felt, or shown by both sides
serving to ...
- 1
1
vote
0
answers
51
views
Shouldn't the answer to this question be not given? [closed]
Here is a link to the full passage:
https://ieltsfever.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/ieltsfever-general-reading-practice-test-3-pdf.pdf
There's a question in the IELTS reading section. Here is the ...
0
votes
2
answers
53
views
Is this an ambiguous use of "prior to" to convey logical precedence? [closed]
Consider the following sentence:
Volcanic eruptions could not account for the high rate of the global collapse of ecosystems prior to the K-T extinction event.
The usage of "prior to" is ...
- 11
0
votes
0
answers
54
views
"The associations between x and y " vs "The associations of x with y"
When conducting and reporting a statistical analysis, is it more correct to state:
"The associations between x and y "
"The associations of x with y"?
Or are both equally correct?...
- 1
-1
votes
1
answer
35
views
What is the best way to understand a sentence that has multiple "not"s thrown into it? [closed]
I'm studying for the GMAT, and the Critical Reasoning section has options such as
Joe's Snack Shack will NOT become more popular UNLESS its exterior and interior are updated significantly.
Is there ...
0
votes
0
answers
30
views
Is it correct to say that "sympathy" is a special case of "empathy"? [duplicate]
empathy = to understand someone else's feeling
sympathy = to share someone's sorry/sad feeling
In case of "empathy", one can understand someone's happy & sad feelings, while in "...
- 317
0
votes
2
answers
59
views
If you know that all of something is true, is saying some of them is true, incorrect? [duplicate]
For example, suppose that it is a known fact that all the pens I have are blue.
Statement 1: All my pens are blue
Statement 2: Some of my pens are blue
Similarly,
Statement 1: All dogs are animals
...
- 11
0
votes
0
answers
53
views
What does "they both can't be selected" mean? [duplicate]
The sentence "They both can't be selected", does that mean (1) None of them can be selected or (2) They both can't make it at the same time, only one of them can ?
If I, for example, want to ...
- 29
1
vote
0
answers
110
views
How can I convert logical operations to simple text [closed]
I am working on a software project that allows users to formulate logical statements in order to filter data. E. g. a user might set their filter as: (size = 100 and weight < 50) or (area > 200 ...
- 11
1
vote
3
answers
132
views
Potentially ambiguous sentence/understanding
I was reading the Monty Hall problem to discuss it with a friend.
The problem is defined as:
Suppose you're on a game show, and you're given the choice of three doors: Behind one door is a car; ...
- 119
-1
votes
1
answer
55
views
"Between" meaning "against"
Fowler reads
The regular or ‘weak’ form thrived has won the centuries-old battle
between irregular or ‘strong’ throve as past tense and thriven as past participle.
Is this usage of between ...
- 2,423
1
vote
0
answers
85
views
How to express "at least one" or "at least some" (of a countable or uncountable collection respetively), as in antivacuous statements?
Discrete (countable) case example: All/Some of the trees on this block are oak. [And there is at least one oak tree on the block, but possibly two or more.]
Continuous (uncountable) case example: All/...
- 150
1
vote
1
answer
86
views
Is there a word for the bias of not knowing what came before?
Is there a word or phrase for the bias of not knowing what came before? Of thinking that an idea under consideration is truly new? I'm looking for a word to describe the bias that comes from this ...
- 213
-2
votes
1
answer
69
views
Must sentences that declare truth be declarative syntatically? [closed]
I'm reading a book about discrete math written by Kenneth H.Rose and in it he states that in mathematical logic,
A proposition is a declarative sentence (that is, a sentence that declares a fact) ...
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
50
views
Use of recurring words - 'somebody who' [closed]
Think of somebody who takes you for granted, somebody who is treating you with disgust, somebody who thinks about you as a thing to use.
Is that sentence well written? I mean the recurring part '...
- 9
0
votes
0
answers
105
views
Ambiguous question
I came across a whatsapp message a few years ago about a question framed in a manner that no matter what the person answers they will be considered that thing they want to deny being. Unfortunately, I ...
0
votes
1
answer
88
views
Evaluating a sequence of logical clauses that are chained using "and" and "or" [duplicate]
How do you evaluate a logical statement that has multiple condition clauses "If A or B and C"?
From method 1 & 2 below, which is the correct/common interpretation?
If A is true, or both ...
- 1,244
0
votes
2
answers
84
views
Does "Either must die at the hand of the other" imply both that A can only be killed by B and that B can only be killed by A?
The prophesy made by Professor Trelawney about Harry Potter includes the phrase "Either must die at the hand of the other", speaking of Harry and Lord Voldemort.
Does this mean that both ...
- 153
0
votes
0
answers
50
views
"Between each" and Other Constructions with Fewer than Two Objects
Page 112 of Garner's fourth edition reads
✳Between each and Other Constructions with Fewer than Two Objects
This phrasing is a peculiar brand of illogic, ✳between each
house/speech,instead of, ...
- 2,423
0
votes
1
answer
51
views
What is a "contingent argument" (outside of law or theology)?
I heard John McWhorter use this term and as best I could tell he was referring to an argument based on a something existing in the world rather than on logic. E.g., I feel offended, so therefore what ...
0
votes
3
answers
93
views
How to ask a question and correctly tell its logic in the following case?
My question is about logic in English. (In my native language (it's Russian) the logical words used in this case may differ, I'm not sure.)
Available variants of the question are:
How to list all ...
- 111
2
votes
4
answers
503
views
Phrase that encapsulates flawed logic in making the excuse "everyone does it"?
I heard someone use a phrase that I thought perfectly captures this but can't remember it. It was used in a situation where what someone did was clearly wrong, but they pointed out that everyone else ...
0
votes
1
answer
61
views
many a: distributive idiom
According to Garner's fourth edition, there is many a person is the correct verbal agreement because many a is a distributive rather than aggregate idiom.
What does the author refer to by the ...
- 2,423
0
votes
2
answers
91
views
Is there any single word in English to represent domain of "logic and science" together?
Is there any single word in English to represent domain of "logic and science" together?
Background
Some of my friends are going to start an online movement whose main purpose would be ...
0
votes
0
answers
54
views
Grammatical Rules of Construction or Logic to Resolve Some Seemingly Contradictory Legislation
One of the things attorneys, such as myself, do often is argue over the meaning of a statute. Often this comes down to grammatical arguments about the location of commas, the use of conjunctions, etc. ...
- 411
0
votes
2
answers
153
views
Why is the clause "They filled me in on all the latest news from Cambridge" correct?
Why is it not like the following:
They filled the latest news from Cambridge in me.
- 127
4
votes
1
answer
443
views
Is there a word in logic, or science, that means getting the right conclusion from the wrong set of presumptions?
Is there a word in logic, or science, that means getting the right conclusion from the wrong set of presumptions? Or alternatively, something is correct, but the explanation of why is incorrect. Is ...
- 41
1
vote
1
answer
384
views
Is there a word to describe a plausible but incorrect explanation? [duplicate]
I'm thinking of something where somebody (with no malicious intention) offers a very plausible and scientific-sounding explanation (not a theory but something presented as a series of facts) such that ...
user197453
-1
votes
1
answer
133
views
Can (or should) "prevalent" be gradable? [closed]
Well, that's all. Can it?
Is it not illogical to say that something is "more prevalent"? Is "prevalent" not, by definition, superlative? Is it not like saying that something is "more best"?
- 740
0
votes
2
answers
178
views
"No accident is too severe to ignore" vs "No accident is too trivial to ignore"
etymology - How does a word come to have two completely opposite meanings? - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
specifically with the case of words taking on their opposite meanings, a ...
user50720
0
votes
1
answer
285
views
What or which before plural noun
Is "What things are safe?", instead of "which things are safe?", grammatical and good usage? Here is an example in a (simplified) context:
In this formula, we use predicate Psafe, ...
- 101
2
votes
1
answer
5k
views
What is the opposite of the word "Not"? [closed]
We are working on a technical manual and we'd like to have a word that is opposite to the word "Not".
Generally, the accepted way to address this is to omit the word itself. In this case however, it ...
- 1,273
0
votes
2
answers
158
views
Word for logical AND-or-OR-ness property
Suppose I have a set of criteria used in digital searches (such as "year is earlier than 1900", "name begins with S"). The user can choose whether to search for records matching ALL of their criteria, ...
- 593
3
votes
2
answers
137
views
Is the sentence logical?
It had been sunny for a week when the storm broke out.
Is this sentence logically valid and sound?
If I think of it, it looks like it means when the storm broke out, it was sunny. There couldn't be ...
- 235
1
vote
1
answer
64
views
A footnote refers to the wrong document - what is a word to describe this kind of mistake?
Well, the title question says it all I think:
A footnote refers to the wrong document - what is a word to describe this kind of mistake?
Words like "discrepancy", "incongruence", "fallacy", or ...
- 23
1
vote
1
answer
2k
views
Is the usage "all ... are not" always the same as "not all ... are"?
Is it true that both the following lines are identical in English?
All dogs are animals. All animals are not dogs.
All dogs are animals. Not all animals are dogs.
In some other languages, (1) and (2)...
- 3,023
1
vote
0
answers
381
views
without X and without Y
I want to express absence of 2 things. For example:
It was a pretty day without rain and without snow.
Logically: (not X) and (not Y), which is equivalent to: not (X or Y)
Therefore, I guess the ...
- 111
0
votes
1
answer
76
views
What's it called when you use a hypothetical claim to disprove another claim?
So what I'm asking is probably niche, but it's one of those things that I'm not sure what to call it by, so apologies if the title seems off.
I think the best way to describe it is to use an example: ...
0
votes
1
answer
432
views
What is the word for knowing you are in someone's thoughts?
"Knowing you are in someone's thoughts" - is there a word for it?
The concept comes from Epistemic logic and the psychology of wellbeing depending on knowing someone's else thinking of you.
- 101
0
votes
1
answer
117
views
Using argumentum ad verecundiam as a verb
When referring to logical fallacies in code mixed sentences, I typically see them used as nouns:
"Of course I'm cool, my mom says I'm cool!"
"That appears to be an argumentum ad verecundiam."
If ...
- 476
2
votes
1
answer
103
views
What is the difference between these two sentences? "If A is true, then B is true" and "Since A is true, B is true"
Consider the following two sentences:
If A is true, then we can conclude that B is true.
Since A is true, we can conclude that B is true.
I have two questions:
What is the difference ...
- 159
0
votes
2
answers
66
views
What is the average reader most likely to guess that “If they don’t have A or both B and C” was exactly intended to mean?
There is a sentence saying "If they don't have A or both B and C,"
I interpret it means "If they have no A or if they have neither B or C". Am I correct?
The condition seems to me that having only B ...
- 1
1
vote
3
answers
301
views
Trying to understand the logic behind this sentence: The lecture will be given if at least ten people are there
I am not really sure whether my question is suitable here, but I will give it a try.
Consider the following sentence:
The lecture will be given if at least ten people are there.
From the perspective ...
- 159
2
votes
2
answers
58
views
Logical implications of 'than they would be if …'? [closed]
Given:
Proof-of-concept technologies, although important, are less valuable
than they would be if they were supported by careful experiments that
identify key attributes of the design or ...
user351753
1
vote
0
answers
139
views
Is ‘the reason why’ somehow objectionable?
It has just come to my attention that some consider ‘the reason why’
ungrammatical or otherwise unfortunate. David Crystal mentions it in
his introduction to Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English ...
- 1,052
15
votes
6
answers
5k
views
Term for the "extreme-extension" version of a straw man fallacy?
Take the most obvious, unimpeachable statement imaginable:
Drinking water is good for humans.
I am looking for a word that describes the action of taking the argument, applying some unreasonable ...
- 2,955