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Hmm. I don't usually get imposter syndrome. Wait, does that mean this is saying I am an imposter? Oh no, what if I am? But wait, wasn't that thought imposter
by nicolashahn 5y ago
Hmm. I don't usually get imposter syndrome.
Wait, does that mean this is saying I am an imposter? Oh no, what if I am?
But wait, wasn't that thought imposter syndrome? That means I'm not an imposter.
Wait, now I'm back to not having imposter syndrome. Oh no.
- ARandomerDude 5y agoYour comment is an example of a logical fallacy called "affirming the consequent." Borrowing from Wikipedia, a good example of affirming the consequent is: 1. If an animal is a dog, then it has four legs. 2. My cat has four legs. 3. Therefore, my cat is a dog. The problem is the conclusion is the result of a reversal of the conditional statement. Similarly, you've said, essentially, 1. If I am an imposter, then I will not feel like an imposter. 2. I do not feel like an imposter. 3. Therefore I am an imposter. The conclusion doesn't follow from the premises. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirming_the_consequent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirming_the_consequent ETA: If your comment was a joke, then forget everything I wrote – which does not mean that if you forget everything I wrote, then your comment was a joke. :-)
- j7ake 5y agoIs this related to mistaking an "if" statement in math as "if and only if" ?
- gota 5y agoWell, sort of - but we use "if" in day-to-day as a different thing to the material implication in logic. I've yet to run into a person using 'if and only if' in a way that doesn't map to the material equivalence, though, but I'm sure it must happen Actually, this wikipedia article for has got a specific section about that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Material_conditional https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Material_conditional Edit: I also just learned abou the 'Wason selection task' from that link. Cool stuff. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wason_selection_task https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wason_selection_task
- kozd 5y agoI think so. The loosey-goosey language of "if" is usually (would need to actually check this) interpreted as an implication relationship "B if A" or "If A, then B" interpreted as A -> B The fallacy would then be to do the following A -> B B ------------ A On the other hand, iff is interpreted as A <=> B i.e. A -> B and B -> A So you can get A or B if you have B or A respectively.
- Banana699 5y agoyes, "if" statments in proofs are the "p->q" forms from logic, if you have p you also have q (therefore if no q then no p). If you imagine the set of all possible logical propositions as nodes in a graph, p->q tells you that q is reachable from p. If you prove that q is not reachable from whatever axioms you have (i.e. false), then p is false too by necessity, because otherwise q would be reachable and we know that's not the case. But if all you have is that q is reachable, that's not enough to assert that p is also reachable. Because you have no reason to believe that the road from p to q is the only one, it might very well be that p is false but q is reachable from another statment s or something. "if and only if" is "p->q and q->p" (also equivalent to "p->q and not(p)->not(q), the more intuitive sense of the phrase), it basically establishes equivalence: any proof that requires p also requires q and vice versa, any proof that guarantees p also guarantees q and vice versa.
- greesil 5y agoWatch out for zebra crossings.
- onemoresoop 5y agoOr Zebras crossing
- taberiand 5y agoAnd never, ever, cross a zebra.
- cutemonster 5y agoAt zebra crossings, watch out for zebras crossing? But how are zebras on topic? Am I missing something
- greesil 5y agoAsk yourself, if philosophers go on strike, who will it inconvenience?
- cyberge99 5y agoAnd the one that got me when I was in the UK: The humped Zebra crossing.
- greesil 5y agoIs that like a camel but with dazzle camouflage?
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- jrsj 5y agoThere is a subtle difference though, in that imposter syndrome exists based on an individuals beliefs, which could be altered by reading about it regardless of whether or not that thought process is rational. So it could be reality created by a fallacy in a way. That being said it was probably just a joke and now we’ve both overanalyzed it lol
- okamiueru 5y agoWhat a clever way to finish of your point. It made my day.
- titzer 5y agoIt's a long way to say P => Q is not the same as Q => P or P <=> Q.
- ARandomerDude 5y agoAgreed! I considered writing something along the lines of what you wrote, but I don't think most people would understand it who haven't already studied at least some logic.
- rhizome 5y agoNo, it's a more accessible way of saying it.
- titzer 5y agoI don't really agree. I find the long-winded version confusing, and as I am not sure if there is a gotcha somewhere in there, I have to read the whole thing and follow the whole argument. You don't necessarily have to use math symbols, but it really helps to be terse.
- rhizome 5y agoPure solipsism.
- jacquesm 5y agoLook at how many words you've already used, that's more than the original. So much for terseness.
- titzer 5y agoOne nit generates another; on and on it goes. I wasn't even further explaining the concept, just explaining why.
- Falling3 5y agoWhy waste time say lot word when few do trick? For anyone with even a passing knowledge of symbolic logic, what you provided is clear. But the explanation wouldn't be required for those people who are going to be familiar with that Fallacy anyway. It's for those who aren't aware of it. In that case, the symbolic version is of no help and the longer verbal explanation is important.
- bryanrasmussen 5y agoI supposed it was a pseudo-Godellian joke.
- mewpmewp2 5y agoI don't think it's comparable to the first example and I don't think it's affirming the consequent. It's more like a paradox where you start to loop. Similar to a sentence such as "I always lie". Or it's kind of like a Dunning-Kruger where the premise would be that: 1. Smart people think they are dumb. 2. Dumb people think they are smart. So you start to loop between those never being able to figure out if you are actually smart or dumb.
- yellowapple 5y agoI reckon the point of the comment was to illustrate how the article's premise is rooted in the logical fallacy you describe, and how said fallacy then results in an inability to determine whether oneself is an impostor.
- spiritplumber 5y agoYou're probably not an impostor, but that's still kinda sus. ඞ ඞ ඞ ඞ ඞ් ඞ ඞ ඞ
- speedgoose 5y agoCongratulations! You have managed to put an emoji on HN!
- agilob 5y agothat was always allowed ( ͡º ͜ʖ͡º)
- someguy101010 5y agothe way that lenny face renders is a little cursed
- bsza 5y ago> emoji *laughs in Sinhalese*
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- the_only_law 5y agoI’m an actual imposter (well somewhat) and I sort of get it, but not fully.
- alabamacadabra 5y ago1. Logic has no value 2. My argument is based on logic These people
- mrh0057 5y agoMost of us have worked with the person who thinks they know everything. Part of being a good engineer/software developer/scientist is knowing it’s impossible to know everything and being open to new ideas.