Monday, January 15, 2007

The Duck Theory of Logic

What do you guys think of this idea of logic?
For those of you who are inable to read Wikipedia here is the basic duck test: If a bird looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then you can infer that it is indeed a duck, even if it is not wearing a label that explicitly states its identity.

1. What if it isn't a duck?
2. How does this fit in with TOK?
3. Did Kyle steal the car?

1 comment:

devin said...

1) What if it isn't a duck?
-Who would know or care? If it isn't a duck, but everyone else thinks it's a duck, then everyone else is wrong. But since when has that been a problem?
2) How does this fit in to TOK?
-Our perceptions drive our logical claims. All the time. We may say we have "quantitative evidence" that proves something, but all that evidence really is is someone else's perceptions of the something we're trying to prove. If that made any sense.
3) Did Kyle steal the car?
-Unless Kyle says something that proves the statement true or false, since he is the only one who truly knows (unless he had an accomplice..ooh), then we're all stuck in the dark. And to tell you the truth, I kinda like it there.