Notes from the underground |
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Updated 1 August 2024 |
7. A slew of ifs
The word ‘if’ turns up regularly in argument and knowing how to handle it is crucial.
The following passage contains numerous ‘ifs’ and a couple of ‘ifs’ within ‘ifs’:
The word ‘if’ turns up regularly in argument and knowing how to handle it is crucial.
The following passage contains numerous ‘ifs’ and a couple of ‘ifs’ within ‘ifs’:
If the cat will die if it eats the stew, then so will the rat. But if the cat eats the stew, it’s bound to die. So if it eats the stew, the rat will die, since the rat will eat the stew if the cat does.It’s easy enough in English but harder to pin down the logic. Can you do it?
| If the cat will die if it eats the stew, then the rat will die if it eats the stew | The cat will die if it eats the stew |
↓ |
| If the cat eats the stew, the rat will eat the stew | The rat will die if it eats the stew |
↓ |
| If the cat eats the stew, the rat will die |
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