DEDUCTIVE

LOGIC
Yeung Chun Yin 1
WASON SELECTION TASK

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VALID ARGUMENT FORM
 Some arguments are valid arguments
 如果下雨，則外面一定會地濕。下雨了，所以外面一定地濕。

1. 如果下雨，外面就會地濕。
2. 下雨了。

3. 外面地濕。

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VALID ARGUMENT FORM
 The argument is valid because of its form
 We can abstract the argument form from this actual argument

1. If p then q
2. p

3. q

 This is a valid argument form

 All arguments having this argument form would be a valid argument

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SOME VALID ARGUMENT
FORMS
 Affirming the premise 肯定前項 (Modus Ponen)

1. If p then q
2. p

3. q

 前項：跟着「如果」 / 「 if 」的句子
 後項：跟着「則」 / 「就」 / 「 then 」的句子
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SOME VALID ARGUMENT
FORMS
 Denying the consequent 否定後項 (Modus Tollens)

1. If p then q
2. Not q

3. Not p

 例：如果他吃飯就會飽，他現在不飽，那他一定是沒有吃飯了

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FORMAL FALLACY ( 形式謬誤 )
 Formal fallacy is a mistake in mistaking an invalid argument form as
valid

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AFFIRMING THE
CONSEQUENT ( 肯定後項 )
 But watch out that if-then sentence is usually one-directional
 If p then q ≠ if q then p

 If one mistake the following invalid form of argument as valid, he/she

commits the fallacy of affirming the consequent

1. If p then q
2. q

3. p

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AFFIRMING THE
CONSEQUENT
 老師：如果你要補考，你就一定要有醫生紙
 學生：那好，那就是說，我有醫生紙可以補考了

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DENYING THE PREMISE ( 否定
前項 )
 Note that if-then sentence usually does not imply the negation either
 If p then q ≠ if not p then not q

 Mistaking the following invalid form of argument as valid is the

fallacy of denying the premise

1. If p then q
2. Not p

3. Not q

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DENYING THE PREMISE
 老師：如果你考滿分，我就給你一個 A 。
 學生：我沒有考滿分，所以我沒有 A 了﹙哭﹚。

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 TWO TYPES OF ‘OR’
 Coffee or Tea?
 Can we have both coffee and tea?
 Trick or Treat?
 要錢定要命？
 可以又要錢又要命嗎？

 Exclusive-or

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TWO TYPES OF ‘OR’
 But sometimes we can take both!
 “If a man who is handsome or rich comes to me, I will fall in love
with him”

 Question: if a man who is both handsome and rich come to me,

should I fall in love with him?
 If you say yes, then the ’or’ in the original sentence is an inclusive-or

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TWO TYPES OF ‘OR’
 「我的兒子很聰明，他將來一定會做醫生或者律師。」

 如果他的兒子後來做了醫生，又做了律師，他這句說話會是假的
嗎？

 看來不會
 這是句 inclusive-or 的句子

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TWO TYPES OF ‘OR’
 Inclusive-or: 如果「 or 」兩邊其中一邊為真，或兩邊皆為真，那
麼整句 or 的句子就為真
 Exclusive-or: 如果「 or 」兩邊其中一邊為真，而同時兩邊不是同
時為真，那麼整句 or 的句子就為真

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DENYING A DISJUNCT
 The following argument form is a valid argument form
 The ‘or’ can be an inclusive or exclusive-or

1. p or q
2. Not p

3. q

 Disjunct: 「 Or 」左右兩邊那兩句句子就是 disjunct

 In “p or q”, “p” and “q” are the disjuncts

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DENYING A DISJUNCT
 My mum is at home or in the supermarket at this time. And she is not
at home now. So she must be in the supermarket.

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AFFIRMING A DISJUNCT
 But don’t mix up with the following invalid argument form!
 If the ’or’ is an inclusive-or, then mistaking the following invalid form
of argument as valid is to commit a fallacy of affirming a disjunct

1. p or q (inclusive-or)
2. p

3. Not q

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AFFIRMING A DISJUNCT
A ：考試不合格的同學一定是懶散或者資質不高，才會
不合格
B ：你看他們多懶散！
A ：那說明了他資質還可以。

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