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To: Right Wing Professor
The statement was that anyone who send their kids to public schools is a total loser. A single counterexample is sufficient to counter a general rule.

No, it's just the opposite. I single exception does not counter a general rule.

The Professor's World: "It's not insane to play Russian Roulette with a loaded gun because I did it once and am still alive".

167 posted on 02/15/2006 9:02:57 AM PST by AmericaUnited
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To: AmericaUnited
The Professor's World: "It's not insane to play Russian Roulette with a loaded gun because I did it once and am still alive".

One of my professors once cautioned me against the use of analogies for precisely the reason why you should stop using them. That is, although they seem to at least make sense to the user, analogies are frequently ridiculous when you actually read them.

For instance, the analogy you have attempted to make here to RWP's point breaks down immediately, because the conclusion you have drawn from your premise doesn't follow.

In case you didn't understand what I just said, I'll just point out that still being alive after playing Russian roulette doesn't equal "not insane." After all, one can be alive and insane, yes?

181 posted on 02/15/2006 9:28:39 AM PST by Chiapet (As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well-spent brings happy death. -Da Vinci)
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To: AmericaUnited
I single exception does not counter a general rule.

So If you claim that all crows are black, and I show you a white crow, you can still go on and claim all crows are black. That's amazing. It's not logic, it's not reason, in fact it's total insanity, but it's amazing.

Explains a lot about creationists.

Creationist: "Nothing in a literal reading of the Bible contradicts science"

Scientist. "Yes it does. Science says the earth is 4.5 billion years old. But a literal reading of the Bible implies it's 6000 years old.

Creationist: "Nothing in a literal reading of the Bible contradicts science"

192 posted on 02/15/2006 9:36:55 AM PST by Right Wing Professor
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