[lit-ideas] Grice to the Mill

Joan Rivers and Gricean Cardinality (Was: Bert Bultinck)
 
In a message dated 6/22/2009 12:07:18 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
pastone@xxxxxxxxx writes:
Actually, Joan Rivers turned 76 a couple of weeks  ago.
So, she's 75, 74, 73 etc.
-----
 
Exactly. 
 
But do.
 
Any of ye, listers: try and report back.
 
Mention Joan Rivers in conversation, and then drop, casually, 'and she is  
sixty-seven' (or something). People will _scream_ at you. I find it's the 
best  intro to Grice (or rather to see how Un-Gricean who you thought your 
friends  were can be.
 
They'll go, "She's not".

Then do try to explain,
 
"Okay; if you are right, and she is older; that doesn't disprove that she  
is, logically, also 67, as I said she was".
 
R. Paul's example of Henry VIII's marrying _at one fell swoop_ the six  
wives is a non-sequitur. Even _then_, we can say that he had five wives, four  
wives, ... and possibly that he was single, too.
 
Cheers,
 
JL Speranza
   "Logic Above All", in Grice to the Mill.
           -- "Every  sentence is a lesson in logic" (J. S. Mill)
 
**************Make your summer sizzle with fast and easy recipes for the 
grill. (http://food.aol.com/grilling?ncid=emlcntusfood00000004)
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