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Single Idea 10121
[filed under theme 5. Theory of Logic / D. Assumptions for Logic / 3. Contradiction
]
Full Idea
Contradiction is not a sign of falsity, nor the lack of contradiction a sign of truth.
Gist of Idea
Contradiction is not a sign of falsity, nor lack of contradiction a sign of truth
Source
Blaise Pascal (works [1660]), quoted by A.George / D.J.Velleman - Philosophies of Mathematics Ch.6
Book Ref
George,A/Velleman D.J.: 'Philosophies of Mathematics' [Blackwell 2002], p.164
A Reaction
[Quoted in Auden and Kronenberger's Book of Aphorisms] Presumably we would now say that contradiction is a purely formal, syntactic notion, and not a semantic one. If you hit a contradiction, something has certainly gone wrong.
The
15 ideas
from Blaise Pascal
6677
|
Imagination creates beauty, justice and happiness, which is the supreme good
[Pascal]
|
6678
|
We live for the past or future, and so are never happy in the present
[Pascal]
|
6679
|
It is not good to be too free
[Pascal]
|
6680
|
It is a funny sort of justice whose limits are marked by a river
[Pascal]
|
6681
|
We only want to know things so that we can talk about them
[Pascal]
|
6682
|
Majority opinion is visible and authoritative, although not very clever
[Pascal]
|
22011
|
The first principles of truth are not rational, but are known by the heart
[Pascal]
|
6676
|
Painting makes us admire things of which we do not admire the originals
[Pascal]
|
7455
|
Pascal knows you can't force belief, but you can make it much more probable
[Pascal, by Hacking]
|
7457
|
Pascal is right, but relies on the unsupported claim of a half as the chance of God's existence
[Hacking on Pascal]
|
7456
|
The libertine would lose a life of enjoyable sin if he chose the cloisters
[Hacking on Pascal]
|
6684
|
If you win the wager on God's existence you win everything, if you lose you lose nothing
[Pascal]
|
6675
|
The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing
[Pascal]
|
20732
|
If man considers himself as lost and imprisoned in the universe, he will be terrified
[Pascal]
|
10121
|
Contradiction is not a sign of falsity, nor lack of contradiction a sign of truth
[Pascal]
|