Posted by John Nichols on December 06, 2005 at 15:59:20 from 70.191.148.241 user Mcneacail.
In Reply to: Re: RP Duffers as logic posted by andyb on December 06, 2005 at 10:51:54:
The beauty of logic, even though I despair of the subject, is one can place such things in simple mathematical language. Of course as you point out there are lots of non duffers who drowned over the years. The problem is of course not the logic, but the definition of the duffer's set. Interestingly mathematicians have created fuzzy sets to overcome part of this problem by learning. I still think TW was being logical and was assuming an intelligence on John and Susan's part of being able to define the set of dufferish acts, and then logic can be applied.
You and I would consider setting out in a dense fog as a dufferish act, but it makes a great story. Of course the story would be sad, and short if the boat ended up on shoal and the children drowned. I fear this story line would have killed the cash cow. So in this case they were duffers, the fact of the children's survival is now down to luck and some risk management, i.e. not turning round, getting out to sea etc. So do no let one dufferish act lead to another. Failure is of two small acts of failure leading to death.
This is the beauty of maths it gives us logic, probablity theory and games. What other subject covers all the sins of man in one simple book? (Excluding the religious tracts).
Of course there is LISP, which allows one to program this sort of stuff quickly and efficiently as no other language does as well.
Susan is the epitomy of logic.
1. Getting out of the wet things and starting a fire,
2. Going to bed regularly
3. Listening for the trains
all if .... then ..... statements.
Of course I gather the real Susan was more human as her boarding school friends found out. I am not sure we would want to live with Susan in a native mood, although I suspect I have in the past.
Ed: - Are you ok? You have been real quiet lately.
JMN