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Questions tagged [logic]

Questions pertaining to logical constructs

214 questions
14
votes
9 answers

"Neither can live while the other survives"-- does it make logical sense?

At the end of the fifth book of Harry Potter, "The Order of Phoenix", there is a prophecy concerning Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort: The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord ( Lord Voldemort) approaches ... born to those who have thrice…
Graviton
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13
votes
7 answers

Does 'some' necessarily imply 'not all'?

If some X's are Y's, does that imply that some X's are not Y's?
Benjamin Lindley
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8
votes
5 answers

Does this logical fallacy have a name?

A phrase being used by the "news" media regarding the recent arrest of people in Columbus, NM is "firearms favored by the Mexican cartels", referring to their purchase of AK47s and other semiautomatics; weapons that are in fact favored by many…
jcomeau_ictx
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7
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2 answers

"There is no doubt this is arguably wrong"

This is from a review of something: There is no doubt that the (product name) is arguably the best consumer (product category name) currently on the market. I stopped for a while after reading that sentence. If there is no doubt it is the best…
Mendel
  • 305
3
votes
3 answers

What are some examples of paradoxical words?

The word "non-hyphenated" is a paradoxical word in that it is a word about words, but it does not describe itself. I have two questions: Is there a name for these types of paradoxical words? What are some other examples of them?
Zubin Mukerjee
  • 519
3
votes
2 answers

Usage of "if and only if" as a nontechnical term

The phrase "if and only if" (iff) is commonly used in the field of mathematics (⇔) and computer programming, as a conditional expression in classical (Boolean) logic. Within that scope, it might not mean the same as a simple "if:" If it rains, I…
leifericf
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2
votes
5 answers

Short human descriptions for logic's AND, OR and NOT

In a user interface, we are offering the user to combine searches using either AND, OR or NOT http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/logic-gate-AND-OR-XOR-NOT-NAND-NOR-and-XNOR We have little graphics explaining the effect, but what would be good,…
commonpike
  • 131
2
votes
3 answers

Name for logical fallacy of "implied guilt"?

For example; "No puppies were harmed in the making of this soda", implying that puppies are generally harmed in the production of soda, and thus casting the competition in a bad light. Is there a name for this? Is it maybe just a sneaky version of a…
Jonatan Hedborg
  • 123
1
vote
0 answers

How can I convert logical operations to simple text

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 and weight < 100) or color = blue which would roughly…
Moritz_st
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1
vote
3 answers

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 of everyday speech, which statement below will…
Stokolos Ilya
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1
vote
1 answer

What's the word for using a general argument that upon inspection does not apply?

Examples, some are ridiculous: Someone refuses to buy a lab grown diamond because 'all diamonds are blood diamonds'. We cannot buy a sports car because 'the trunks of sports cars are too small', even though this sports car has a larger than average…
OrigamiEye
  • 159
1
vote
2 answers

Word for theories that cannot be disproven ?

Is there any word for something which cannot be disproven. E.g. I want to say: "Vedas were written around 10000 BC". This has some proof but not certain, but it cannot be disproven. What should be the one word for this?
Aditya Singh
  • 121
1
vote
2 answers

"We will never have x until we can do y"

I heard this in a science lecture. Is this a correct use of the word "never"? I'm not a native English speaker, but for me, "never" means we know that there's is no point in time (past, present or future) when it is true. "Until" means that there…
basteln
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1
vote
2 answers

What is the difference between "It is raining" and "'It is raining' is true?"

"It is raining." "'It is raining' is true." Does "is true" make any difference? Thanks. This link gives context to this question and testify that I'm not a nut (yet).
George Chen
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1
vote
1 answer

What does "Graduates from business school or Economics with mathematical background" mean?

Hello I have a question about "English logic". For instance on a job offer I see this requirement: Graduates from business school or economics with mathematical background. So If I understand the sentence it means: However, how to say : Being a…
S12000
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