Bierce, Ambrose -- “Logic,” The Cynic’s Word Book (1906)

Dave — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 19:32:52 +0000

LOGIC, n. The art of thinking and reasoning in strict accordance with the limitations and incapacities of the human misunderstanding. The basis of logic is the syllogism, consisting of a major and a minor premise and a conclusion — thus:
Major Premise: Sixty men can do a piece of work sixty times as quickly as one man.
Minor Premise: One man can dig a post-hole in sixty seconds; therefore —
Conclusion: Sixty men can dig a post-hole in one second.
This may be called the syllogism arithmetical, in which, by combining logic and mathematics, we obtain a double certainty and are twice blessed.

Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914?) American writer and journalist
“Logic,” The Cynic’s Word Book (1906)
(Source)

Included in The Devil's Dictionary (1911). Originally published in the "Cynic's Dictionary" column in the San Francisco Examiner (1887-09-04).

See Kettering.

WIST Quotations

Bierce, Ambrose -- “Logic,” The Cynic’s Word Book (1906)