Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

This is dangerous – I am splitting a blog post into two parts. Hang in there with me.

People are not always logical. That bothers logical engineers like me to no end. There is a mathematical and logical method to prove the non-logical behavior of people. That math helps me understand the how and why of the way people behave and how I can behave with them.

Part 1 of this blog post discusses the math and logic. Part 2 of this blog post discusses how people reflect this.

This is all based on something called implication. Implication basically states that if we accept something that is FALSE, we can prove anything. Yikes.

Below is the truth table for implication: (the symbols “A => B” is read “A implies B”)

Case …… A …… B …… A => B

0          false     false     true

1          false     true      true

2          true      false     false

3          true      true      true

Start with Case 3 as it is simple. Let A be the statement “1=1” which is TRUE. Let B be the statement “3=3” which is also TRUE. In math, we can prove that “1=1” implies “3=3”, i.e. A=>B is TRUE. Simply multiply both sides of “1=1” by 3 and we have “3=3”.

Next to Case 2. Let A be the statement “1=1”  which is TRUE. Let B be the statement “2=3” which is FALSE. In math, we can prove that “1=1” does not imply “2=3”, i,e, A=>B is FALSE.

Next to Case 1. Let A be the statement “1=2” which is FALSE. Let B be the statement “3=3” which is TRUE. We don’t have to go to math for any proofs because no matter how often or loudly we proclaim that “1=2”, we know that “3=3”. Hence, A=>B is TRUE.

Now to crazy Case 0 – the one that predicts human illogical behavior. Let A be the statement “1=2” which is FALSE. Let B be the statement “2=3” which is also FALSE. Using math, I can now prove that “2=3”, so A=>B is TRUE.

Here is the proof:

Statement A says that ———————– 1 = 2

Add 1 to both sides of the above and we have — 2 = 3

A simple, one-step proof that “2=3”. See, a logical proof that validates illogical human behavior.

If I accept something that I know is FALSE, I can prove anything else that I know is FALSE

Come back for Part 2 in which implication allows me to prove all sorts of nonsense.