Destructive dilemma is the name of a valid rule of inference of propositional logic. It is the inference that, if P implies Q and R implies S and either Q is false or S is false, then either P or R must be false. In sum, if two conditionals are true, but one of their consequents is false, then one of their antecedents has to be false. Destructive dilemma is the disjunctive version of modus tollens. The disjunctive version of modus ponens is the constructive dilemma. The rule can be stated:
where the rule is that wherever instances of "", "", and "" appear on lines of a proof, "" can be placed on a subsequent line.
Read more about Destructive Dilemma: Formal Notation, Natural Language Example, Proof, Example Proof
Famous quotes containing the words destructive and/or dilemma:
“Ignorance of what real learning is, and a consequent suspicion of it; materialism, and a consequent intellectual laxity—both of these have done destructive work in the colleges.”
—Katharine Fullerton Gerould (1879–1944)
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