This House Believes That The Law of Non-Contradiction Is Sound!

To be clear I should note that my opponent has the complete burden of proof in this debate. This means that it is my opponent's burden to prove the Law of Non-Contradiction. S/he has provided no proof as such, and voters should take that into consideration. To say that a law is obvious, is not a proof. If anything I will argue that for too long we have appealed to intuition, and it has each time hurt the progress of human science. One could easily say that the law of gravity is obvious. However even now gravity could be as Prof. Verlinde states not a force in itself but the result of entropy imbalance viz. entropic gravity. Or there could be a gluoun which would not seem to exist, but could cause gravity. The point is that my opponent has the burden of proof, and it should be seen as rude that he tries to place the burden to "disprove" on me. The person who is both Opposition, and holding the negative claim does not have the burden of proof. No matter how obvious it may seem, my opponent has not "proven" non-contradiction. With that analysis let me rephrase the law of non-contradiction. My opponent agrees to the definition of non-contradiction set which states: 'no two properties, statements, propositions, events contradictory in nature, can both be true at the same time. It is therefore impossible that A is B, and A is not B are both true, and there exists between them a formal exclusivity. ' Let us phrase this as ~(P & ~P). That P, and not P are not possible at the same time. The Law of Non-Contradiction assumes two things: a. a binary truth value of 0 or 1; b. the attribution of this binary truth system to the analysis of said qualities. It then states that this formal exclusivity is applicable to everything. This is important, I will not show that the law of non contradiction is false, I will only show that it has exceptions, hence no longer giving it the sound status that it would have. The Law of Non-Contradiction like Newton's principles of mechanics are not incorrect per say, but what they attest: that they are "laws" is vulgar. Therefore so long as non contradiction is a "law" my opponent needs to show that it applies to all. I will show that there are exceptions, that this law is false in certain circumstances, and that is enough for me to win this debate. In fact since my opponent did not even give an argument, I de facto win this debate. When we take ~(P & ~P) we assume the truth table as follows: (P)--------(~P)------------------------------------------(~(P & ~P) 0-----------0---------------------------------------------1 1-----------0---------------------------------------------1 0-----------1---------------------------------------------1 1-----------1---------------------------------------------0 Or so had historians assumed it so. Let us add one more truth value, and then see the result. 1/2--------1/2------------------------------------------1/2 which by nature reducto ad absurdum 0 Thereby if the truth value of P, and not P is 1/2, by the law itself, since both will be considered true to a certain degree, the truth of 1/2 of the law will become 0. So if I may prove that P, and not P can both happen, I have disproved the law of non-contradiction. This seems a bit vague, but if you have the least bit sense of Logic it should be easy enough. I shall start by explaining the fallacious grounding on which the law has been formulated. I will then attack that grounding, and by destroying that grounding, I shall destroy the law via. Occam's Razor. If I can disprove the base, then anything made on the base is unnecessary, and untrue. THE LAW OF NON-CONTRADICTION, AND INTUITIONIC LOGIC As I said before the law of non-contradiction is not worthless, it is simply not a "law". This "law of non-contradiction" (from now LNC) is important enough, but it was originally formed by Aristotle in his Metaphysics to explain reality. Aristotle says on the LNC (differentiating it into two tiers): "ontological: "It is impossible that the same thing belong and not belong to the same thing at the same time and in the same respect. " (1005b19-20) logical: "The most certain of all basic principles is that contradictory propositions are not true simultaneously. " (1011b13-14)"[1] As one can see this applies to Logic, and Ontology for Aristotle. According to our original (agreed upon) definition the LNC must be sound for: 'properties, statements, propositions, events' for bossyburrito's position to be the winning one. I will tackle the first, and the last of these two. I will tackle the Ontological aspect of LNC, and thereby showing that the LNC as agreed upon is unsound. This LNC as my opponent himself/herself states is in fact an axiom of intuition. It is garnered from experience, and then follow up reason. Richard Feynman once wrote that the transition of science from experience to reason was perhaps the most important achievement of the 20th century. Einstein's theory of relativity, and modern Quantum Mechanics go against intuition in every way possible, and so my argument is precisely clear. I will argue that there are indeed "events" which give objects "properties" which are real, and yet contradictory. I will also argue that there are "propositions" which are logical, yet contradictory. My argument will be enunciated by examples, and so I thought I would provide the underlying logic, which I have done above. Let us now approach the argument. LNC UNSUCCESSFUL IN "EVENTS" AND "PROPERTIES" In the 20th century Physics was astounded by a most unusual discovery. This discovery was found in an experiment named the "The Double Slit Experiment"[2]. In this experiment an electron gun would be made to shoot electrons through two slits. The results were most complex. Instead of two lines of electrons being formed, multiple lines of electrons were being formed. [3] This confused physicians for a long time. Finally they came up with a theory, which explained these particles, and could be proven by Mathematics. The name of this theory was, and is Quantum Physics. The explanation of the Double-Slit experiment is simple. It is provided by Richard Feynman: "The electron did and did not go through the slit to reach the screen"[4] Now this seems ridicolous. It seems strange, and we do not understand it. It is however the simple truth. The electron did go through the slit, and the electron did not go through the slit. In fact the electron went through an infinite number of slits, without ever going through a slit. Prof. Cox writes: ". .. it may seem funny, and it is, but the simple truth of the matter is that the answer to the question: how did the electron go from the gun to the screen is, that is went through an infinite number of spaces, and times, and by that an infinite number of slits, without ever going through a slit. .. ". [5] This happens at the same time. It happens. This is a ontological event that the LNC does not explain. Similarly the list goes on with Quantum Fluctuations, Redshift Relativity, Multiverse String Ontology, and so on. The law of non contradiction cannot simple hold up anymore. By extension the electron will possess the property of having gone through the slit, and will possess the property of having not gone through the slit. Thereby breaking another rule of the LNC. This suffices in showing the soundness of my position. LNC UNSUCCESSFUL IN "PROPOSITIONS" Heraclitus denied the LNC. [6] Take the statement: "I can, and cannot step in the same river twice". This seems ridicolous but is a sound enough statement. After all if you step into a river, the river water has flowed, and even you have changed. Similarly when does a grain become a heap? If one has a heap, and one removes one grain, one still has a heap. By that extension a grain would be a heap. In fact the LNC is overrated and does not allow us to make sense of many a thing. It would have us deny Quantum Physics, something which has been proven beyond any morsel of doubt. It is therefore that I oppose. Also because my opponent never gave an argument, and because I sufficiently shown the weakness' of the LNC I ask you to vote Opp. Thank you. [1]Metaphysics by Aristotle [2]. http://physics.mq.edu.au... [3]. http://www.blacklightpower.com... [4]QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter [5]The Quantum Universe: Everything That Can Happen Does Happen by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw [6]. http://en.wikipedia.org...