Re: Help with a problem


G. Frege wrote:
> On 24 Nov 2005 03:56:31 -0800, "George Dance" <georgedance04@xxxxxxxx>
> wrote:
>
> >
> > [...] The first logic text I studied PC
> > in (Woods, Irvine & Walton's /Argument/) used a system (called by the
> > authors P) that was essentially the same as the Copi one I found on the
> > web (though with 22 inference rules) and the same names; so these have
> > stuck with me.
> >
>
> Remindes me of the famous quote:
>
> "It is practically impossible to teach good programming style
> to students that have had prior exposure to BASIC: as potential
> programmers they are mentally mutilated beyond hope of
> regeneration."
> (Edsger Dijkstra)
>

Whether that analogy applies depends on what you think makes a system
of natural deduction good, IOW what one wants to achieve with one..

If one's aim is to use nd to formalize the inferences of informal
reasoning, then a system like Copi's would work best. If OTOH (as per
your analogy) one's aim is to train people to reason in a certain
'style' only, then a system like Gentzen's would clearly be better. .



> F.

.

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