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Polysyllogism the First

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/26/09

Lewis Carroll was a devotee of logic games that explored the boundaries of sense and nonsense. This year's series of Daily Trojan ads features four of his well-known soriteses, which are polysyllogisms, or sequences of syllogisms that provide premises for unexpected conclusions. Depending on the premises, more than one conclusion is often possible.

 

Polysyllogism the First

Coloured flowers are always scented.

I dislike flowers that are not grown in the open air.

No flowers grown in the open air are colourless.

One answer: No scentless flowers please me.

 

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