you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 0 points 2 years ago (1 child)

Better read that one again.

"If B then A" ... "B if and only if A"?

If Apple then fruit. Is Apple ONLY if it's a fruit.

This one actually checks out.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 child)

    If and only if is a biconditional. "b if and only if a" means "if b then a" AND "b only if a". B only if A here means "It is an apple only if is a fruit", in other words, "if it is a fruit, it could only be an apple." Which ain't right.

    B -> A (if B, then A) (if apple, then fruit, correct)

    B <-> A (B if and only if A) (if apple, then fruit, AND if fruit, then apple, incorrect).

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Gotcha. I was reading it aloud: "It's an Apple if and only if it's a fruit." which isn't wrong, but I guess the technical definition of "If and only if" assumes more than the words imply.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago*

    I agree, if and only if trips me up too and it doesn't fit perfectly into this logic formula. A thing is only an apple if and only if it is a fruit makes sense if you read it in a common sense way.

  • source
  • parent