Logic+in+Literature


 * Logic in Literature **
 * INTRODUCTION: **

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, was a gifted mathematician who taught, wrote textbooks, and created many cipher, word and logic games. He is better known for his literary talents, particularly as author of the iconic tome, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (1865) and its sequel, "Through the Looking Glass" (1872).

As a logician, he was more interested in logic as a game than as an instrument for testing reason. Evidence of his perpencity to incorporating logic in his literary works is abound in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland."

Below is a link to Chapter VII "A Mad Tea-Party". Read the selection carefully with an eye towards passages that reflect logical reasoning. Consider conditional statements and their related conditionals: converse, inverse and contrapositive.

**Reading Selection: Chapter VII: A Mad Tea-Party**

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 * The Movie: **


 * ASSIGNMENT: (8 points) **

Select one statement from the reading. Post on the Discussion Board for this page. In your posting, list the statement and write as a conditional in "if-then" format if it is not already:


 * Examine whether the statement is true or false. Explain.
 * If the converse of the statement is included in the passage, list this statement (or, if not, write the converse) and again examine whether it is true or false explaining your reasoning.
 * Are there any other related conditionals to your chosen statement also in the passage? If so, identify the statements and whether they are the inverse or contrapositive. If not, write the inverse and contrapositive and decided whether it is true or false explaining your reasoning.
 * Do you think Carroll's use of logical statements in this passage enhances or detracts from the telling of the story. Justify your answer.

For two points extra credit, post a response to a classmate's comments in terms of whether you agree or disagree with the posting. Be sure to explain your reasoning.