Thursday, December 17, 2009

Logic

LOGIC, n. The art of thinking and reasoning in strict accordance with the limitations and incapacities of the human misunderstanding. The basic of logic is the syllogism, consisting of a major and a minor premise and a conclusion -- thus:
Major Premise: Sixty men can do a piece of work sixty times as quickly as one man.
Minor Premise: One man can dig a posthole in sixty seconds; therefore --
Conclusion: Sixty men can dig a posthole in one second.
This may be called the syllogism arithmetical, in which, by combining logic and mathematics, we obtain a double certainty and are twice blessed.

2009 Update: The most analytical form of reason, by which the capable human animal combines two assumptions into one irrelevancy. Logic is never as coldly precise as when it used to explain a failure of judgement, and judgement fails primarily due to distraction and, therefore, the Orange Bowl? Not too shabby.

14 comments:

TLP said...

Logic: Can be used as justification for just about anything. You didn't see me do it? Therefore I didn't.

Jim said...

GIGO applies to Logic as well (garbage in, garbage out--a programer's term).

Correct the input:
Major Premise: Sixty men can do a piece of work sixty times as quickly as one man.
to:
" ... can do sixty pieces of work sixty times as quickly as one man."
and you will have those sixty men digging sixty postholes in sixty seconds.

Do you think so? This is one reason we went to the moon when we did, so many of us were searching for GIGO problems. Our programs were designed to not allow faulty inputs. And when there was one the program was supposed to help the user make a correct input instead of crashing.
..

Jim said...

A resignation is better than a firing.

Is a vacation better than a banishment?
..

pia said...

Logic: Something nobody's ever accused me of having

Ariel the Thief said...

Logic, the optimism of the brain.

Ariel the Thief said...

Logic, curtain to keep reality out.

godlic - Godzilla licked in my icecream

k. riggs gardner said...

(I can't believe it! Hawkeyes TRIED to steal my comment!)

The Hawkeyes don't stand a chance! Of course the Yellow Jackets shall win the Orange Bowl.

Anonymous said...

LOGIC: Where oh where is this in DC. Maybe we should start serving Santa Clarita back there? No tipping expected!

Jamie Dawn said...

Good, logical definitions today.
Spock would be proud.

quilly said...

LOG,n. 1.) a portion or length of the trunk or of a large limb of a felled tree. 2.) something inert, heavy, or not sentient.

-IC an adjective-forming suffix with the particular senses “having some characteristics of”.

LOGIC,n. an inert, heavy, wooden thought process.

[Oh wait, that wasn't funny. It's too close to true!]

Tom & Icy said...

Mine's fuzzy --Icy

Cooper said...

Logic - the rules that in no way ensure rational use of those rules to reason. Whatever.

Doug The Una said...

TLP, The lipstick on my collar is scarlet. My mistress wears garnet lipstick. Ergo, I am not having an affair.

Jim, you think those GIGO filters would still work? Someone should bring them down out of the attic.

Oh, it depends how long you want to be gone, Jim.

Haha, Pia. I knew, if you showed up today, what you would post. Bless your heart.

Ariel, I particularly like your second definition. A concrete barrier between the brain and brick wall.

Karen, I even saw your heresy. I believe in my cornfed cousins over my nerdy former neighbors.

Thom, the tipping in D.C. is reserved for congressional representatives and glasses of single malt.

Live long and prosper, JD.

Quilly, I don't mind if you tell the truth as long as you reach it by inference.

Mine too, Icy. But at least yours is well intended.

Cooper, logic will eat its children, won't it?

k. riggs gardner said...

Heresy. You even SAW my heresy. And what, prey tell, is heretical in your eyes, Doug Pascover?

One moment - a perfect explanation of your brand of convoluted logic. The next, KABOOM, you're damning my soul.

You're being utterly ridiculous.