A True Contradiction

TheMadFool October 01, 2021 at 19:06 1800 views 4 comments

Argument A

1. Snow is white

2. White is not emotion [white is a color, emotion is not]

Ergo,

3. Snow is not emotion [from 1, 2]

---

Argument B

4. C is a black circle

5. C is black & C is circular [from 4]

From 6 - 8 refer to argument A

[i]6. C is black [5 Simp]

7. Black is not circular [black is a color, circular is not]

Ergo,

8. C is not circular[/i]

9. C is circular [5 Simp]

10. C is circular & C is not circular [8, 9 Conj] [Contradiction!]

There are black circles :point: O and ?. So 4. C is a black circle cannot be false.

Conclusion: There are true contradictions (see 10)

Comments (4)

Michael October 07, 2021 at 12:32 #604790 0 likes

You're equivocating. To say that C is black and circular is to say that C has the colour-property black and the shape-property circle. Colour properties cannot have shape-properties (as per 2), but objects can have both shape- and colour-properties.

TheMadFool October 07, 2021 at 15:32 #604840 0 likes

Quoting Michael

You're equivocating. To say that C is black and circular is to say that C has the colour-property black and the shape-property circle. Colour properties cannot have shape-properties (as per 2), but objects can have both shape- and colour-properties.

I thought so too. Thanks for noticing my error.

kudos October 12, 2021 at 15:48 #606312 0 likes

Reply to TheMadFool The usual structure goes:

individual -> particular
particular -> universal
individual -> universal

You have replaced the universal in the second step with a second particular.

TheMadFool October 13, 2021 at 02:28 #606504 0 likes

Reply to kudos I was thinking along the lines of qualities. C's black in color but circular in shape. No contradiction.