you're so fallacious

[schmerica]

Coming up on three years since I took Informal Logic at SRC, I was complaining to dsudis about how I seem to be forgetting all the names of various things. Like, I can still see where the fallacies pop up, and what's valid and what isn't, but I can't remember why, or what it's called.

So, then, of course, I went to look them up and remember what each one was called. And then I made up stupid little examples to show Dira, and she very kindly pretended to care even a little tiny bit.

So. I present to you all My Completely Pointless Examples of Logical Forms, Illustrated By Due South Slash. Enjoy.

Denying the Antecedent

If you are a Mountie, then you are hot.
Ray is not a Mountie.
Therefore, Ray is not hot.

FALLACY.

Affirming the Consequent

If you are Ray, then you are hot.
Fraser is hot.
Therefore, Fraser is Ray.

FALLACY.

Modus Tollens

If you are Fraser, then you are a Mountie.
Ray is not a Mountie.
Therefore, Ray is not Fraser.

VALID, YAY!!!

Modus Ponens

If Ray is really hot, then Fraser will want to have sex with him.
Ray is really hot.
Therefore, Fraser wants to have sex with him.

VALID, YAY!!!

*cough* Oddly, considering our normal conversations, this is actually not very dorky for Dira and me. Less so than our linguistic squee, at least.

Comments

[serialkarma.livejournal.com]

You know, I had to take symbolic logic in college and it confused the hell out of me. Now I can't help thinking: but if they had used *porn* to teach it, I might have actually gotten it!

Of course, it would have been a much more popular class, too, I imagine.

[pearl-o.livejournal.com]

I never took the symbolic logic, actually -- only the informal. So, yeah, we still had words and everything.

The name of my website is actually from my Informal Logic textbook, though. Because I am easily amused.