If...
A = B
and
B = C
then
A = C
... see anything wrong with this?
-CodeTRUCKER
OK, I am definitely NOT schooled formally in logic or philosophy, but I do remember seeing this before - isn't that called syllogistic logic or syllogistic reasoning, something like that?
-J-Mac
Kind of. You're right because the above is a
syllogism, but the general term is "symbolic logic" or "
propositional logic" or "formal logic". It all really depends and isn't really important.
Strictly, "and" is usually expressed by "&" or the union symbol (∩ and sometimes written ^ though ^ is better reserved for exponents) while "then" is expressed by a right-pointing arrow (→ or hacked as -> or -->). Different texts will use different sets of symbols, and usually they are defined at the start, though it's not unusual to get dropped into some formal logic and need to sort out exactly which symbols mean what. For example, the exclusive conditional operator, "if and only if", uses the bidirectional arrow, ↔, and sometimes is written as "iff". However, it wouldn't be unusual or unexpected to see it written as <->.
A lot of that is because ASCII doesn't include symbols for all the mathematical operators or because writers are too lazy to use them or don't have any way to use them. Thank God for Unicode~!
If anyone is interested in logic, or more specifically argumentation and informal logic, I would strongly recommend getting a copy of
"The Art of Deception" by Nicholas Capaldi. The full title is:
The Art of Deception: An Introduction to Critical Thinking : How to : Win an Argument, Defend a Case, Recognize a Fallacy, See Through a Deception, Persuade a Skeptic, and Turn Defeat into Victory
Capaldi is an Italian monk who taught informal logic at a university and was frustrated by students not being able to "get it", so he wrote a book on informal logic that takes the opposite approach. The result is a wonderfully written, humorous, and informative book that truly is a classic.
The section on the
ad baculum argument is wonderful.
"...there is no better way..."
Recent Posts
Then again, there's no harm in asking. 
