Soundness

Definitions Truth – actual state of matter – applied to premise (if one premise is false, the conclusion is false.) Validity – correct form – containing premises from which the conclusion may logically be derived. Soundness – Argument/theory is valid – All of its premises are true Example: All men are mortal Socrates is a … Continue reading →

She Turned Me Into a Newt!

    The peasants in this video believe the woman is a witch. Why? “She looks like one.” This, however, is not good enough for the knight, Sir Bedevere, a man of science. He proposes a simple way to determine her guilt. What do the people do with witches? Burn them. And what  burns, other … Continue reading →

After Some Revisions… – Kelly

I awoke this morning to an extraordinarily kind comment from Mr. Stephen Downes, who tore my blog post to shreds.  Well, that is slightly dramatic.  He opened my eyes to just how little I actually knew about how to properly write fallacy and syllogism.  So, after some reiteration, explanation, and revision, here is a (hopefully) … Continue reading →

Bedtime Syllogism

All beds are for people to sleep on. A riverbed is a bed. Therefore a riverbed is for people to sleep on. The conclusion of this syllogism is valid, as it follows the presented premises. However, this argument is not true, due to the untrue premises. As a result, this argument is not sound. A: … Continue reading →

Zoe: Batman is On the Internet

Recently, a man named Stephen Downes has been leaving comments on this classes blog. After some thinking, I made a discovery. All men who patrol their territory under his own power and initiative, strike fear into the heart of wrong doers in the dead of night, and does these things with only the tools and … Continue reading →

Gifted Individuals Proved “Ungeniuses”

All gifted individuals are geniuses. Stephanie is a gifted individual. Therefore, Stephanie is a genius. Though this syllogism is valid, it is not sound as the information was based upon subjective opinions.  This statement is valid because it follows a correct form in which it includes a middle term “A” (all the gifted individuals), a … Continue reading →

Jonathan Toews, a Famous Hockey Player

Someone named Jonathan Toews is a famous hockey player I am someone named Jonathan Toews Therefore, I am a famous hockey player   This syllogism is both categorically invalid as well as not sound. Even though both premises are true, the two premises are particular propositions and do not relate to each other in a … Continue reading →