Can a Dog Conclude It's a Cat Using Logic?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a logical reasoning problem involving a hypothetical scenario where a dog concludes it is a cat based on the premise that all cats have four legs. Participants are exploring how to express this reasoning using formal logic, specifically focusing on predicates and logical connectives.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants are attempting to define predicates for the properties of being a cat and having four legs. They are questioning how to represent the logical statements and whether certain conclusions can be drawn from the premises provided.

Discussion Status

Some participants have offered insights into the validity of the logical statements and the implications of the premises. There is an exploration of the necessity of additional axioms or knowledge to prove certain statements, and the discussion is examining the structure of logical arguments without reaching a consensus.

Contextual Notes

There is an emphasis on the need to consider the identity of the subject (the dog) and its implications for the logical reasoning being discussed. Participants are also reflecting on the nature of logical fallacies, such as affirming the consequent.

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Homework Statement


This question may sound weird, but please bear with me.

Let's say that you are a dog, and you think to yourself.
"All cats have four legs, I have four legs, therefore I am a cat."
Obciously this is wrong because even though all cats have four legs, there are more creatures that have four legs.

But how would we write this in terms of logic? That is in terms of statements and the connectives → ,\wedge,\vee?


The Attempt at a Solution


My attempt is that I define a predicte:
F(x) = "x have four legs".
The predicate C(x) is "x is a cat".

Then I say that statement A is:
\forallx[C(x)→ F(x)]
statement B is:
F(I), that is "I have four legs".
Statement D is:
C(I) "I am a cat"

Now how can I see technically that
A\wedgeB → D is false?
This last step I can't get to.
 
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You can't see that it is false because you can't prove the theorem (or do not have the axiom) ~C(I). You have not included the knowledge that I am a dog and no dog is a cat. If you add these, you can prove ~C(I).
 
verty said:
You can't see that it is false because you can't prove the theorem (or do not have the axiom) ~C(I). You have not included the knowledge that I am a dog and no dog is a cat. If you add these, you can prove ~C(I).

Ok, is this considered formally correct?
F(x) is "x have four legs".
C(x) is "x is a cat"
D(X) is "x is a dog"

statement A:\forallx[C(x)→ F(x)] is TRUE
statement B: F(I), that is "I have four legs". is TRUE
statement E: \forallx[D(X)→\negC(x)] is TRUE, this is what you said.

Now the proposition is:
A\wedgeB\wedgeD(I) → C(I)

Now I am a little stuck. I see that statement E says that D(I)→\negC(I), but what happens when we do not have D(I), but A\wedgeB\wedgeD(I)?
I guess it may be stupid, but can we just say that if we have statements Q, P, H and
Q→\negP
then: Q\wedgeH →\negP?
 
Your "argument" would be
If P then Q
Q
Therefore P.

where P= "is a cat", Q= "has four legs".

This is called "affirming the consequent".
 

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