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	<title>rattus rattus' blog &#187; prove</title>
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	<link>http://blog.rats.at</link>
	<description>where lies keep rotting away</description>
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		<title>Prove me wrong</title>
		<link>http://blog.rats.at/242/prove-me-wrong</link>
		<comments>http://blog.rats.at/242/prove-me-wrong#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 03 Mar 2007 19:12:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>rattus</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[I am a liar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hypothesis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prove]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wrong]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.rats.at/242/prove-me-wrong</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It is an hypothesis that an hypothesis will always be an hypothesis. And, because this is easily proven wrong it is true.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It is an hypothesis that an hypothesis will always be an hypothesis. And, because this is easily proven wrong it is true.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Proving a true statement</title>
		<link>http://blog.rats.at/38/proving-a-true-statement</link>
		<comments>http://blog.rats.at/38/proving-a-true-statement#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Feb 2006 08:40:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>rattus</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[I am a liar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coffee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indirect proof]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[logic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[paradoxes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prove]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[truth]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Have you ever tried to prove something indirectly? I am pretty sure you are doing it all day long. According to Wikipedia, see Wikipedia: Indirect Proof, it is as simple as the following: If you have no water, you can&#8217;t make coffee. This seems to be undoubtedly true to me, at least since adolescence. And [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Have you ever tried to prove something indirectly? I am pretty sure you are doing it all day long. According to Wikipedia, see <a target="_blank" title="Wikipedia on " href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indirect_proof">Wikipedia: Indirect Proof</a>, it is as simple as the following:</p>
<blockquote><p>If you have no water, you can&#8217;t make coffee.</p></blockquote>
<p>This seems to be undoubtedly true to me, at least since adolescence. And it is because water is one of the <a title="rattus rattus about making good coffee" href="/15/cooking-coffee" target="_self">essential ingredients for coffee</a>.<br />
Let us apply the nice rules of Indirect Proving to another statement that is true.</p>
<blockquote><p>First the statement itself:<br />
<strong>This statement is true.</strong></p>
<p>Now, we assume that it is wrong (meaning &#8220;we have no water&#8221;). Then we will see if this leads to a contradiction (or something as unbearable as &#8220;being unable to make more coffee&#8221;).</p>
<p>If the statement is wrong, that is<br />
<strong>&#8220;This statement is true&#8221; is wrong.</strong><br />
it follows that <strong>This statement is wrong</strong>. Because of this, saying the statement is wrong, it follows that <strong>The statement is true</strong>. But this contradicts our assumption.</p></blockquote>
<p>Witty readers probably see that the proof did not precisely lead to a contradiction but to a paradox. Let me suggest that for a moment, we adopt this paradoxical situation here as being as futile as a contradiction.</p>
<p>Well, here is another example of an often heard, and certainly true statement right for you to try out what we have just learned:</p>
<blockquote><p>I am saying the truth.</p></blockquote>
<p>. . .</p>
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