In logic class, I opened my textbook-the last place I was expecting to find comic inspiration-and was startled to find that Lewis Carroll, the supremely witty author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, was also a logician. He wrote logic textbooks and included argument forms based on the syllogism, normally presented in logic books this way: All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. _________________________________ Therefore, Socrates is mortal. But Carroll's were more convoluted, and they struck me as funny in a new way: 1} Babies are illogical. 2} Nobody is despised who can manage a crocodile. 3} Illogical persons are despised. __________________________________________ Therefore, babies cannot manage crocodiles. And: 1} No interesting poems are unpopular among people of real taste. 2} No modern poetry is free from affectation. 3} All your poems are on the subject of soap bubbles. 4} No affected poetry is popular among people of taste. 5} Only a modern poem would be on the subject of soap bubbles. __________________________________________ Therefore, all your poems are uninteresting.
( Steve Martin )
[ Born Standing Up: A Comic's ]
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