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Why is it that the natural deduction method can't test for invalidity?


Does transfinite induction indicates limitations of Agrippa’s Trilemma?Shouldn't statements be considered equivalent based on their meaning rather than truth tables?Does predicate logic have truth tables?Why is propositional logic decidable?Why is the biconditional true if both components are false?What are factual propositions?Can Deduction for a Valid Argument produce the wrong conclusion?Without computers, how can you conjecture the (in)validity of a long convoluted argument in Predicate Logic?Why did we define vacuous statements as true rather than false?Are there “partially explosive” logics?













2















I just got the hang of using truth tables as a method to test for validity and invalidity. Now I'm learning the natural deduction method, and been told that it can test for validity, but not invalidity as the truth table method can. Why is this the case?



As a side note, it's hard to wrap my mind around how something can test for something but not its "opposite." Perhaps validity and invalidity are not contradictions but more like contraries? I don't know.










share|improve this question


























    2















    I just got the hang of using truth tables as a method to test for validity and invalidity. Now I'm learning the natural deduction method, and been told that it can test for validity, but not invalidity as the truth table method can. Why is this the case?



    As a side note, it's hard to wrap my mind around how something can test for something but not its "opposite." Perhaps validity and invalidity are not contradictions but more like contraries? I don't know.










    share|improve this question
























      2












      2








      2








      I just got the hang of using truth tables as a method to test for validity and invalidity. Now I'm learning the natural deduction method, and been told that it can test for validity, but not invalidity as the truth table method can. Why is this the case?



      As a side note, it's hard to wrap my mind around how something can test for something but not its "opposite." Perhaps validity and invalidity are not contradictions but more like contraries? I don't know.










      share|improve this question














      I just got the hang of using truth tables as a method to test for validity and invalidity. Now I'm learning the natural deduction method, and been told that it can test for validity, but not invalidity as the truth table method can. Why is this the case?



      As a side note, it's hard to wrap my mind around how something can test for something but not its "opposite." Perhaps validity and invalidity are not contradictions but more like contraries? I don't know.







      logic






      share|improve this question













      share|improve this question











      share|improve this question




      share|improve this question










      asked 3 hours ago









      csp2018csp2018

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          2














          Natural Deduction is a proof system that is sound and complete for e.g. classical propositional calculus.



          Sound means that if a formula is provable with ND, it is valid.



          In general, a proof system is not an algorithm, i.e. if we start from a formula and we do not know if it is valid or not, the simple fact that we are not able to find a proof does not mean that the proof does not exist: maybe, we are simply not clever enough to find it.



          Truth table, instead, is an algorithm to test validity for propositional calculus; this means that, applying it to a formula whatever, it always comes to an end with a result: if all rows have TRUE, the formula is valid; if there is some FALSE value, the formula is not valid.






          share|improve this answer
































            1














            Truth tables can become large if there are many sentence letters That is when natural deduction might find a solution in a more economical manner. That assumes one can derive a line in a natural deduction proof that corresponds to the desired conclusion. If not, one has to keep looking. A truth table, although potentially large, would let one know one does not have to continue.



            Here is how the authors of forallx describe the situation in Chapter 20: Soundness and Completeness, page 149:




            Now that we know that the truth table method is interchangeable with the method of derivations, you can chose which method
            you want to use for any given problem. Students often prefer to
            use truth tables, because they can be produced purely mechanically, and that seems ‘easier’. However, we have already seen that
            truth tables become impossibly large after just a few sentence letters. On the other hand, there are a couple situations where using
            proofs simply isn’t possible. We syntactically defined a contingent
            sentence as a sentence that couldn’t be proven to be a tautology
            or a contradiction. There is no practical way to prove this kind of
            negative statement. We will never know if there isn’t some proof
            out there that a statement is a contradiction and we just haven’t
            found it yet. We have nothing to do in this situation but resort
            to truth tables. Similarly, we can use derivations to prove two
            sentences equivalent, but what if we want to prove that they are
            not equivalent? We have no way of proving that we will never find
            the relevant proof. So we have to fall back on truth tables again.





            P. D. Magnus, Tim Button with additions by J. Robert Loftis remixed and revised by Aaron Thomas-Bolduc, Richard Zach, forallx Calgary Remix: An Introduction to Formal Logic, Winter 2018. http://forallx.openlogicproject.org/






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              2 Answers
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              2 Answers
              2






              active

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              active

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              active

              oldest

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              2














              Natural Deduction is a proof system that is sound and complete for e.g. classical propositional calculus.



              Sound means that if a formula is provable with ND, it is valid.



              In general, a proof system is not an algorithm, i.e. if we start from a formula and we do not know if it is valid or not, the simple fact that we are not able to find a proof does not mean that the proof does not exist: maybe, we are simply not clever enough to find it.



              Truth table, instead, is an algorithm to test validity for propositional calculus; this means that, applying it to a formula whatever, it always comes to an end with a result: if all rows have TRUE, the formula is valid; if there is some FALSE value, the formula is not valid.






              share|improve this answer





























                2














                Natural Deduction is a proof system that is sound and complete for e.g. classical propositional calculus.



                Sound means that if a formula is provable with ND, it is valid.



                In general, a proof system is not an algorithm, i.e. if we start from a formula and we do not know if it is valid or not, the simple fact that we are not able to find a proof does not mean that the proof does not exist: maybe, we are simply not clever enough to find it.



                Truth table, instead, is an algorithm to test validity for propositional calculus; this means that, applying it to a formula whatever, it always comes to an end with a result: if all rows have TRUE, the formula is valid; if there is some FALSE value, the formula is not valid.






                share|improve this answer



























                  2












                  2








                  2







                  Natural Deduction is a proof system that is sound and complete for e.g. classical propositional calculus.



                  Sound means that if a formula is provable with ND, it is valid.



                  In general, a proof system is not an algorithm, i.e. if we start from a formula and we do not know if it is valid or not, the simple fact that we are not able to find a proof does not mean that the proof does not exist: maybe, we are simply not clever enough to find it.



                  Truth table, instead, is an algorithm to test validity for propositional calculus; this means that, applying it to a formula whatever, it always comes to an end with a result: if all rows have TRUE, the formula is valid; if there is some FALSE value, the formula is not valid.






                  share|improve this answer















                  Natural Deduction is a proof system that is sound and complete for e.g. classical propositional calculus.



                  Sound means that if a formula is provable with ND, it is valid.



                  In general, a proof system is not an algorithm, i.e. if we start from a formula and we do not know if it is valid or not, the simple fact that we are not able to find a proof does not mean that the proof does not exist: maybe, we are simply not clever enough to find it.



                  Truth table, instead, is an algorithm to test validity for propositional calculus; this means that, applying it to a formula whatever, it always comes to an end with a result: if all rows have TRUE, the formula is valid; if there is some FALSE value, the formula is not valid.







                  share|improve this answer














                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer








                  edited 1 hour ago

























                  answered 1 hour ago









                  Mauro ALLEGRANZAMauro ALLEGRANZA

                  30.2k22067




                  30.2k22067





















                      1














                      Truth tables can become large if there are many sentence letters That is when natural deduction might find a solution in a more economical manner. That assumes one can derive a line in a natural deduction proof that corresponds to the desired conclusion. If not, one has to keep looking. A truth table, although potentially large, would let one know one does not have to continue.



                      Here is how the authors of forallx describe the situation in Chapter 20: Soundness and Completeness, page 149:




                      Now that we know that the truth table method is interchangeable with the method of derivations, you can chose which method
                      you want to use for any given problem. Students often prefer to
                      use truth tables, because they can be produced purely mechanically, and that seems ‘easier’. However, we have already seen that
                      truth tables become impossibly large after just a few sentence letters. On the other hand, there are a couple situations where using
                      proofs simply isn’t possible. We syntactically defined a contingent
                      sentence as a sentence that couldn’t be proven to be a tautology
                      or a contradiction. There is no practical way to prove this kind of
                      negative statement. We will never know if there isn’t some proof
                      out there that a statement is a contradiction and we just haven’t
                      found it yet. We have nothing to do in this situation but resort
                      to truth tables. Similarly, we can use derivations to prove two
                      sentences equivalent, but what if we want to prove that they are
                      not equivalent? We have no way of proving that we will never find
                      the relevant proof. So we have to fall back on truth tables again.





                      P. D. Magnus, Tim Button with additions by J. Robert Loftis remixed and revised by Aaron Thomas-Bolduc, Richard Zach, forallx Calgary Remix: An Introduction to Formal Logic, Winter 2018. http://forallx.openlogicproject.org/






                      share|improve this answer



























                        1














                        Truth tables can become large if there are many sentence letters That is when natural deduction might find a solution in a more economical manner. That assumes one can derive a line in a natural deduction proof that corresponds to the desired conclusion. If not, one has to keep looking. A truth table, although potentially large, would let one know one does not have to continue.



                        Here is how the authors of forallx describe the situation in Chapter 20: Soundness and Completeness, page 149:




                        Now that we know that the truth table method is interchangeable with the method of derivations, you can chose which method
                        you want to use for any given problem. Students often prefer to
                        use truth tables, because they can be produced purely mechanically, and that seems ‘easier’. However, we have already seen that
                        truth tables become impossibly large after just a few sentence letters. On the other hand, there are a couple situations where using
                        proofs simply isn’t possible. We syntactically defined a contingent
                        sentence as a sentence that couldn’t be proven to be a tautology
                        or a contradiction. There is no practical way to prove this kind of
                        negative statement. We will never know if there isn’t some proof
                        out there that a statement is a contradiction and we just haven’t
                        found it yet. We have nothing to do in this situation but resort
                        to truth tables. Similarly, we can use derivations to prove two
                        sentences equivalent, but what if we want to prove that they are
                        not equivalent? We have no way of proving that we will never find
                        the relevant proof. So we have to fall back on truth tables again.





                        P. D. Magnus, Tim Button with additions by J. Robert Loftis remixed and revised by Aaron Thomas-Bolduc, Richard Zach, forallx Calgary Remix: An Introduction to Formal Logic, Winter 2018. http://forallx.openlogicproject.org/






                        share|improve this answer

























                          1












                          1








                          1







                          Truth tables can become large if there are many sentence letters That is when natural deduction might find a solution in a more economical manner. That assumes one can derive a line in a natural deduction proof that corresponds to the desired conclusion. If not, one has to keep looking. A truth table, although potentially large, would let one know one does not have to continue.



                          Here is how the authors of forallx describe the situation in Chapter 20: Soundness and Completeness, page 149:




                          Now that we know that the truth table method is interchangeable with the method of derivations, you can chose which method
                          you want to use for any given problem. Students often prefer to
                          use truth tables, because they can be produced purely mechanically, and that seems ‘easier’. However, we have already seen that
                          truth tables become impossibly large after just a few sentence letters. On the other hand, there are a couple situations where using
                          proofs simply isn’t possible. We syntactically defined a contingent
                          sentence as a sentence that couldn’t be proven to be a tautology
                          or a contradiction. There is no practical way to prove this kind of
                          negative statement. We will never know if there isn’t some proof
                          out there that a statement is a contradiction and we just haven’t
                          found it yet. We have nothing to do in this situation but resort
                          to truth tables. Similarly, we can use derivations to prove two
                          sentences equivalent, but what if we want to prove that they are
                          not equivalent? We have no way of proving that we will never find
                          the relevant proof. So we have to fall back on truth tables again.





                          P. D. Magnus, Tim Button with additions by J. Robert Loftis remixed and revised by Aaron Thomas-Bolduc, Richard Zach, forallx Calgary Remix: An Introduction to Formal Logic, Winter 2018. http://forallx.openlogicproject.org/






                          share|improve this answer













                          Truth tables can become large if there are many sentence letters That is when natural deduction might find a solution in a more economical manner. That assumes one can derive a line in a natural deduction proof that corresponds to the desired conclusion. If not, one has to keep looking. A truth table, although potentially large, would let one know one does not have to continue.



                          Here is how the authors of forallx describe the situation in Chapter 20: Soundness and Completeness, page 149:




                          Now that we know that the truth table method is interchangeable with the method of derivations, you can chose which method
                          you want to use for any given problem. Students often prefer to
                          use truth tables, because they can be produced purely mechanically, and that seems ‘easier’. However, we have already seen that
                          truth tables become impossibly large after just a few sentence letters. On the other hand, there are a couple situations where using
                          proofs simply isn’t possible. We syntactically defined a contingent
                          sentence as a sentence that couldn’t be proven to be a tautology
                          or a contradiction. There is no practical way to prove this kind of
                          negative statement. We will never know if there isn’t some proof
                          out there that a statement is a contradiction and we just haven’t
                          found it yet. We have nothing to do in this situation but resort
                          to truth tables. Similarly, we can use derivations to prove two
                          sentences equivalent, but what if we want to prove that they are
                          not equivalent? We have no way of proving that we will never find
                          the relevant proof. So we have to fall back on truth tables again.





                          P. D. Magnus, Tim Button with additions by J. Robert Loftis remixed and revised by Aaron Thomas-Bolduc, Richard Zach, forallx Calgary Remix: An Introduction to Formal Logic, Winter 2018. http://forallx.openlogicproject.org/







                          share|improve this answer












                          share|improve this answer



                          share|improve this answer










                          answered 1 hour ago









                          Frank HubenyFrank Hubeny

                          10.8k51559




                          10.8k51559



























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