I was looking this morning at data on non-multiple and multiple human births in
which live births were classified as single(si), double(do), triple(tr),
quadruple (qa), or quintuple (qi).
Now if one were interested only in single births it would be folly to write
¬do & ¬tr & ¬qa & ¬qi
instead of writing just
si
If, on the other hand, one were interested in all multiple births it would also
be folly to write
do | tr | qa | qi
instead of writing just
¬si
because someone had taught you that negative logic was 'bad'.
NOT logic may be awkward, or again it may be felicitous. What is always and
everywhere inexcusable is the replacement of thinking with slogans. ROT is
an apposite acronym for rule of thumb. The mentors who retailed these dubious
notions would have done better to teach fewer|none of them and more substantive
logic.
John Gilmore Ashland, MA 01721-1817 USA
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