[lit-ideas] Re: The Educational Value of Slips of the Whatever
- From: Robert Paul <rpaul@xxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:48:54 -0700
Walter wrote
1) "A sound argument is not a valid argument."
Hmmmm.
Compare with:
2) "My car does not have 3 wheels." (It has 4).
Analysis: Both statements may be understood to be true in some contexts but
false in other contexts. That doesn't mean that truth is relative - only that
we need to exercise precision in making statements in order that they be
correctly understood, and their truth value correctly ascertained.
Given what has gone before in this discussion, I'm puzzled by the
suggestion that (1) may be 'understood' to be true 'in some contexts,'
unless this just means that Walter's student who gets it wrong by
'understanding' it to be true exists in some special context, namely
the one in which she gets it wrong.
I must go. The Harris online poll that I take part in usually asks my
opinion on automobiles, cell phones, wide screen TVs, and other
essentials, has just sent me a questionnaire headed 'Tell us about
your life.'
Robert Paul,
enjoying the rain
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