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From: David McFadzean[SMTP:david@lucifer.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 04, 1997 10:16 PM
To: virus@lucifer.com; virus@lucifer.com; 'virus@lucifer.com'
Subject: RE: virus: Church of Virus/Memetics/Faith
At 11:00 PM 04/06/97 +0100, Dave Pape wrote:
>>>David McF wrote:
>>>
>>>>I'm saying that the circularity of an argument lies on
>>>>a continuum. Very tight circularity (e.g. The Bible is true because
>>>>it says so in the Bible) is a logical fallacy.
>>
>>David... I'm not being facetious here, it's because I have little formal
>>experience with "proper" logic (as taught in logic classes)... so... Why is
>>that a logical fallacy? Can you tell me what the process is? I'm trying to
>>think about logic in terms of memetic interaction. Cheers!
>
>http://www.infidels.org/news/atheism/logic.html#circulus
>
>Circulus in demonstrando
>
>This fallacy occurs if you assume as a premise the conclusion which you
>wish to reach.
[snip examples]
I agree with you and the definition completely. In informal logic this is correct.
Just to be really nitpicky, and because Dave P. did use the word "formal" I would
like to point out that a circular argument is a tautology. It is logically but only trivially true.
Tautology:
if A then A.
This gives two possible cases:
1) if true then true
2) if false then false.
I have uttered a true statement. It is also trivial statement. I have opened my mouth and
said nothing. (So I'll shut up now).
-Alan
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