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Technical and scientific discussion of amps, cables and other topics.

Logical Boostrap Problem

I doubt it is possible to pick up the basic elements of logical reasoning from a book. Without a certain amount of innate logic "hard wired" into one's mind (or brain if you prefer) it simply isn't possible to follow the reasoning in logic books. I'm not saying that books on logic aren't useful, but they all place certain minimum requirements on reasoning ability from the get go. In a way it's like bootstrapping a computer system.

Alternatively, there's the matter of internal noise "between the ears". One of the most serious limitations of logical reasoning is its inability to get back on track after so much as a single error in logic. In particular, if one has a single contradiction, caused perhaps by a temporary mental glitch, then one can continue to use logical deduction and prove all possible statements. In my opinion common sense is at least as important as logic. Much humor comes from clashes between "logic" and common sense.

All this is speaking in general terms, of course, without reference to any particular person and without excluding any particular person. Or as Richard Bach once wrote, "Everything in this book could be wrong."


Tony Lauck

"Diversity is the law of nature; no two entities in this universe are uniform." - P.R. Sarkar


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