Only heroes drink only this beer

[Glizdka]

Think of it as a commercial. Is my sentence correct?

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"Heroes drink only this beer because this beer is drunk only by heroes."

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I've been thinking too much about sentences whose output feeds back into their input. I've looked up recursion, but it hasn't told me what I think I need to know. What do I need to look up to learn about different types of such logical loops*?


*I made this term up

 

[Tarheel]

It's OK.

 

[jutfrank]

In logic, this is a tautology.

Logically, these sentences can be expressed as If P then P, i.e., if proposition X is true, it follows that proposition X is true, which although undeniably true, is obviously absurd, making the statement tautological.

There's a related idea in philosophy of causa sui, which means 'the cause of itself'. The example you've given is a causal claim, since you've used the word because. You're basically saying 'X causes X'.

 

[jutfrank]

Okay, edit.

I hastily misread the initial sentence as Only heroes drink this beer ... which is not the same as Heroes drink only this beer ...

Which one did you actually mean? If the latter, why?

 

[Tarheel]

Well, the thread title differs from the example sentence, which could contribute to confusion.

 

[Glizdka]

I hastily misread the initial sentence as Only heroes drink this beer ... which is not the same as Heroes drink only this beer ...

Which one did you actually mean? If the latter, why?

Well, the thread title differs from the example sentence, which could contribute to confusion.

Sorry. I shouldn't have named it like that.

I'm using different positions of only. If I'm correct, only modifies the next word.

In the set all people, subsets other than heroes don't apply - "Only heroes."
Argument heroes doesn't interact with beers other than this beer - "Only this beer"

 

[Glizdka]

Card game rules:

A can move when B is in play

Only A (no other card) can move when B is in play

A can only move (no other action) when B is in play

A can move only when (no other situation) B is in play

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Am I correct?

 

[jutfrank]

Yes, that's correct.

However, in common speech the second sentence would more likely to be interpreted in the same way as the third. Intonation would make it clear if the second meaning were intended (as well as context).

 

[J&K Tutoring]

Think of it as a commercial. Is my sentence correct?

---

"Heroes drink only this beer because this beer is drunk only by heroes."

---

I've been thinking too much about sentences whose output feeds back into their input. I've looked up recursion, but it hasn't told me what I think I need to know. What do I need to look up to learn about different types of such logical loops*?


*I made this term up

I kinda like it!