Syllogistic Fallacy - When logic fails...

Logical analysis of situations is a human approach to life, in general. And logic, is not always universally justified, and has multiple implications and associations, for perceptions vary. Fallacies frequently mark the process of logical dissection of any situation.

Of the various "wrong" logical approaches, the Syllogistic fallacy is one which I extrapolate to in a vast number of situations. It falls under the category of reasoning which goes by the name "Syllogysms".

Syllogisms are arguments which consist of 2 statements, which include a "major premise" which is a general statement, and a "minor premise", which is a specific statement. There is a conclusion based on the two premises. Syllogisms can be tactfully used to persuade people regarding something wrong, which directly said would be rejected, but presented as a Syllogism, would lead to its acceptance.

A general representation for Syllogisms can be approximated to the following:

If A, then B. If B then C.

Since A, therefore C.

And a simpe example would go something like:

"If I get up late, I miss classes. If I miss classes, I run short of attendance. Hence if I wake up late, I lose attendance."

A Syllogistic fallacy, au contraire, is a widely misinterpreted form of the same, often seen in the intellectual iconoclasts who prefer to apply a partially understood logical musing than to grapple its nuances completely prior to experimentation. The various kinds of Syllogistic fallcaies can be enumerated as "Affirming the consequent", "Denying the antecedent", "Illicit Minor/Major" to name a few.

Here's a veritable digression from an acceptable approach.

"If I was Isaac Newton, I could solve this piece of calculus." Now I go ahead and actually solve the problem and then say, "I just proved I'm Isaac Newton", while I did no such miraculous feat...

The problem is evident now.

If A, then B : is true. But : since B, therefore A; is wrong to its very core.

It is a logically inappropriate approach, which people tend to follow with an ease of familiarity.

Teacher's, often tend to bask in Syllogistic fallacies, and use them as means, although inappropriate, to prove their students' subordination. How often does a teacher call upon a student to the board, when he is caught off guard sleeping, talking or not paying attention in his infinite appetite for distractions, and asks him to solve a seemingly obscene problem. Their approach is, approximately, this: "If you are a fool, you cannot solve it. Now you couldn't solve it, therefore, you are a fool." I would strongly disagree as to WHO the fool is, here, yes offence...

Other day to day encounters (from my perspective, needless to mention) include:

"We won the match, the people watching it are shouting." I cannot extrapolate, confined in my room, to the fact that "Since the people watching the match are shouting, we won". (This is a firsthand recollection. And I am not proud of it.)

"If you proxy for someone, there would be 2 similar handwritings on the paper. Now since there are 2 similar handwritings here, you have proxied". (A habitual fallacy my Strength of Materials teacher literally lives in.)

"Its thursday, the mess food is inedible. Now the mess food being inedible could lead you back to ANYDAY and ANYTIME" (Which is a universal truth)

If you liked this article, you probably read it to the end.

Now since you read it to this point, I'm sure you liked it.

Syllogistic fallacy.

- Vitruvius.

Schrodinger's Cat : Wanted Dead AND Alive

Theories, thought experiments, propositions and their likes are misinterpreted by many (A subtle Syllogistic Fallacy) to be looked upon as textbook tools, which not only incarcerates their own thinking, but also the true potential these theories hold, in simplifying life and in answering many questions. From dilemmas you cannot come out of to public behaviour, they can be answered using simple extrapolation of these laws into the situation you are in.

A dog is a man's best friend (or so they say), but the Cat, is surely his best guide...

Schrodinger's Cat, the classical thought experiment suggested by the great Austrian physicist Erwin Schrodinger. The paradox goes like this. A cat is confined in a closed box (Not interacting quantum mechanically with the surroundings), and the box has a flask of hydrocyanic acid, which is broken as a result of a random quantum mechanical event like disintegration of a radioactive element. Now, the question is, whether the cat is dead or alive, inside the box. The answer is, there is a finite probability of the cat being BOTH dead and alive at the same time, which cannot be told until the box is opened and looked into. This experiment has a Copenhagen interpretation which says that the system stops being a superposition of states (dead AND alive paradox) when it is subjected to observation. This is a Quantum decoherence of sorts, which prevents the independant states to interact with each other. This de-coherence means that when the observer is about to view the cat (which is initially split), the system splits into 2 paths, the observer facing a dead cat and another with an observer facing a living cat. This is in accordance to a multiworld theory.

"Schrodinger's Cat" is a very good reply I find to most questions asked by people regarding life, situations and happenings. From trivial issues to contemplating whether the mess food is edible or not, the answer can be found out by "opening the box", i.e, to taste it firsthand, to people contemplating relationships, and whether they will work out or not. The latter is a more complex propositions and the number of variables involved is virually infinite.

Relationships are complex happenings (Occam's Razor CLEARLY suggests we must not include too many variables in our assumptions, like most people do while listing their "expectations" from their partners. It is a fallacy, and leads to states much more complex than contemplated due to chaotic changes brought in by minor disturbances in the details.) Coming back to the "Cat", it holds a lot of answers compensating for the questions it raises.

If you don't know what someone thinks of you (its now good AND bad), if you are undecisive as to whether the ATM is working or not (it is both functional AND being repaired), and EVERY similar dilemma is a superposition of states, which according to the Copenhagen interpretation will split into a state of existence which is unique. Although, the result may not always be in your favor. The food may still be bad, the ATM still non functional, the hostel bathroom geyser STILL * sigh * not switched on, but what I do in such cases is congratulate another Quantum Mechanical "me" which bifurcated into the desirable situation, and now happier than me, for I am pretty sure "he", or rather "they", must be doing the same whenever I am in a state of benefit and they are not. * I add a sympathetic look for every time "I" suffer for "my" benefit *

Before you read this post, there MUST have been a thought in your mind regarding whether or not it's worth reading. I do not know whether the cat was dead for you, or alive. But you approached the situation JUST as Schrodinger did. By opening the box.

We all think scientifically, only are a times too blind to notice it. I intend to draw parallels between theories and our applying them subconsciously in life.
Our world doesn't govern science, science govern's it. So enjoy its beauty and elegance, in EVERY walk of life. Like I do.

PS: Were I in Schrodinger's palce, my thought experiments would have a dog as a subject for sure. They scare me, no ends...

Vitruvius.

The Divine and the Diabolus

Irony marks the facets of life in so many instances, which are basically realisations of the initially overlooked. But then again, they are undeniable, and a close scrutiny of anything is bound to unearth underlying foibles and ironies.I had been playing with some trigonometry the other day, in Wolfram Alpha, that I uncovered this for myself.

Having been through the era of "Da Vinci Code", even the most mathematically disinclined minds are aware of the Golden ratio, Phi, equal to 1.618 approx. It is found to play a vital role in nature and its beauties. Often connected to proportions of the human body, proportions in plants, animal exoskeletons and around everything that seems beautiful in nature. Hence it was also named the "Divine Proportion".

Irony lies in the fact that this "Divine" proportion has more "Diabolic" origins, as the math reveals. The value of the "Divine Proportion" is exactly equal to "-2Sin(666)". Needless to mention, 666 being the "Number of the Beast". Satan's influence in the evolution of the world as we know it, has been speculated to being profound. Maybe he actually did sneak into the ratio too. Maybe just another instance of the intertwining of good and evil.

Symmetries, can also be disturbing.

Vitruvius.

Pilot

Alternate Datum, is my point of view of events, scientific or not, from mathematical and metaphysical grounds of interpretation. The posts must not be confused for scientific writeups. They are in all rhetorical reality interpretations in more scientific a manner than usually meets the eye. And this is what I had planned to blog about, when I learnt what blogging was somewhere astronomically down the timeline now. The thought stuck. But my introduction to blogging superseded the initial idea. So in a parallel venture, I have decided to revive the disintegrated thought before it goes beyond the event horizon of retrieval.

Alternate Datum :

Alternate : Unconventional, different, contradicting, and to some extent distant.

Datum : A reference line for measuring quantities relative to it.

I hope that explains the name.

With buoyant hopes.

Vitruvius.