PopKa



Philosopher. Universe lover. Advocate for intelligence and education. Currently a PR intern in San Francisco.



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sovereignsoul asked: So, I'm currently taking a logic class, but we haven't really learned what p or q could possibly meaan in a real life situation. Why is Modus Ponens your favorite?

The great thing about propositional logic is that you can substitute p and q for any proposition you’d like. Here is an example of using propositions for p and q in Modus Ponens (Modus Ponens says that ‘If P, then Q. P. Therefore, Q.’): If I go to the movies (p), then I will have popcorn (q). I went to the movies (p). Therefore, I had popcorn (q). 

Another example:

If I go to that party, then I will drink.

I went to that party.

Therefore, I drank.

Not sure why MP is my favorite. Maybe because it’s the first rule I ever learned, and when doing proofs, it always seems to be such a helpful inference. Also, philosophers like to use MP a lot for whatever reason.

Hope that helps!