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So many keep quoting this but I fail to see how exceptions prove rules. In fact they contribute to disproving whatever it is that they are an exception for.
by bloodorange 9y ago
So many keep quoting this but I fail to see how exceptions prove rules. In fact they contribute to disproving whatever it is that they are an exception for.
- Dylan16807 9y agoPeople misuse it a lot. Sometimes they're implying that if you can only find a handful of counterexamples, then you're showing how strong the rule is overall. Sometimes they're just spewing nonsense. The original meaning goes like this: an exception of "if it's Thursday, you're allowed to have a brownie" proves/implies a rule of "no brownies"
- stordoff 9y agoI believe the original meaning is more like if there is an exception, there must be a rule (otherwise it wouldn't _be_ an exception/you wouldn't need an exception). It's been watered down a lot, and is often used to suggest that any counterexample makes a rule stronger (which is obviously not always the case -- enough counterexamples just proves the rule is wrong/doesn't exist).