This is known as a “vacuously true” statement in formal logic. Let me write it out more in more detail and you’ll hopefully see why it’s consistent. In logic,

This is known as a “vacuously true” statement in formal logic. Let me write it out more in more detail and you’ll hopefully see why it’s consistent. In logic, a proposition is some statement that can be true or false. So, let A be the proposition that 1 equals 3, and B be the proposition that 3 equals 3. Now the poster is making a third proposition. If A, then B. A is clearly not true. So in classical logic, B can be anything and “If A then B” is still true. For example let B be the proposition that I am Elvis Presley (I’m not). So now we have “If one equals 3 then I am Elvis Presley”. This is clearly true. I’m not Elvis Presley, but that doesn’t matter because we’re not saying anything about what happens when one doesn’t equal 3. Now, let’s try let B be the proposition that I am Sean Hunter (I actually am). So now we have “If one equals 3 then I am Sean Hunter”. This is clearly still true because we still are only making a claim about what happens when one equals three. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuous_truth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuous_truth By the way, this isn’t any kind of inherent contradiction or problem, it is just a possibly counterintuitive part of how classical logic works. You see this type of statement (“If <x>, then <something ridiculous>”) being made a lot when people are exaggerating for effect, for example by Mr Bumble in “Oliver Twist” > 'That is no excuse,' replied Mr. Brownlow. 'You were present on the occasion of the destruction of these trinkets, and indeed are the more guilty of the two, in the eye of the law; for the law supposes that your wife acts under your direction.' … 'If the law supposes that,' said Mr. Bumble, squeezing his hat emphatically in both hands, 'the law is a ass--a idiot. If that's the eye of the law, the law is a bachelor’ https://www.literaturepage.com/read/olivertwist-460.html https://www.literaturepage.com/read/olivertwist-460.html