The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1955-01-07
Just Among Ourselves
Passing Comment censidered or lneonsidsrsfs

editors
as Number in their Tips on Straight Thinking"
Like many tips, this is highly questionable II
Is well meant tip, and it calls attention to
common logical error, but it contains large log
ical error in itself.
The article is called Neither Black nor White"
II tells OF radio man who used TO introduce dis
cussoh to the studio audience by holding up a
ball and asking, What coor?" The dutifuI an.
dience, doubtless instructed by another man with
large sign, would answer, "White" Then the mod
orator would turn the ball around and cry again
What coor?" The audience would answer Black"
Then the moderator would drive home the Great
Lesson Every question has two sides; we ought
to consider both
Stuart Chase gives thinkers (that strange crew
we hear so much about and seldom See) his tip:
there are more than two sides to many questions;
not every issue is ciearcut one of Black and
White; there are tell-tale grays that must be al
lowed to tell their tale. Ignoring the grays of var
lous shades Is setting up "roadbock to straight
thinking" Thus Mr.. Chase and the Readers
Digest.
So far so good But between the extremes Of
White and Black there are more than various
shades OF gray. There is the whole range of color.
To know that thing is not White is not to know
that it is Black even to know that it is gray.
1t might be red or blue yellow or green or violet
thng
Mr. Chase and all tlpsters and those tipped 10 re-
member,-to know that a thing is White is to know
that definite fact, without doubt or quhble and
it is to know that the thing is therefore not not
White
Says Mr. Chase, Scientists avoid eheror think
ing" Well, in that case scientists simply avoid
thinking There is no other kind but eher-or think
ing, Mr.. Chase doubtless puts forth his doctrine as
true. BY that fact he declares that the contradc-
tory doctrine is untrue Faced with an eitheror sit
uation he makes this choice this is the right teach
ing; what gives it the lie is wrong teaching Ev-
cry situation that the mind faces questionngly is
an eheror situation
Mr. Chase, and his approving readers would be
the better for lesson in elementary logic They
would do well to study the difference between
what called contrdrieS and what are called
coHtfddiet0rteS, Contrarles things that cannot
both be true because they are in conflict like Black
and White. C0ntradict0fies are things that cannot
both be true and cannot both be false for they are
in conflict that perfectly covers the whole ground
One must be true; the other must be false. There
is no middle ground between them Black and White
are contraries. Black and notBlack contradc-
tories
Al first sight, contraries seem more sweepingly
and completely opposed than contradictories The
man who cries, "It's white" appears most com
But this is mere seeming For both these men
may be wrong. They cannot. it is true, both be
right; but they can be-and probably are-b0th
wrong Likely they are merely agitated fellows
doing ackand-white argument about what is
peagreen
Bat the perfect opposition, the opposition that
is complete, that covers the whole ground of argu-
ment is contradiction, not contrariety When John
says ITS white" and Jim replies, mo, it isn't"
one of these debaters is right and the other is
wrong Manifestly both cannot be right But think
a minute and you will realize they cannot beth be
wrong, either There is no other possible position
10 occupy defend If White is not true then not
White is inevitably true,
Now what Mr. Chase means but does not say il
IN any word or phrase of his interesting article, is
that ScientistS-and ohers.-avoid thinking in
eoHtrar1eS And they do we'll for contrast of con.
raries is not the way 10 the discovery of rath But
scientists and others do not avoid thinking along
the line of conradictories for that is the way all
profitable thinking is done
The logical error in Mr. Chase's article is that
II makes assertion of positive piece of teaching
which deeres the "eitheror' type of reasoning.
and yet the Article itself is definite choice of an
either" an cor" Thus the article is a neat con
tradction of the thesis il sets, and tries to prove.
Practically the harm such an article may do is
this II may induce unthinking people 1he vast
1ority of population) TO say: this Chase is
liberal broadminded chap he would not have us
positive about anything; he would not like us to
he bigoted about the sum of two and two we should
keep open minds, and ponder and mediate but
never come to actual grips with question; he would
not have think that either this that is right and
true.
Mr.. Chase would likely deny that he meant TO
say anything of the kind. But he would be forced
to admit that either he said il or he didn't Had he
made distinction of the types of "etheror" argu.
ments, rejecting the contrary type, and accepting
the contradictory type, he would have been sound
and sane, and his article would have been indeed
tip to straight thinking. As il is il constitutes
tip of another kind: il tips straight thinking
off balance
The mistaken type of thinking-by eontraSted
e0ntfaries-is indeed general faul. of many men,
even Of we'll educated II leads nowhere for
as we have seen, eontrares may all be false clash
Of eontrares comes to the logical faacy of missing
the point al issue OF such argument there is end
and no fruit. But out of the clean and complete
clash of contradietories, truth must come at the
last. Blind prejudice may lead antagonists to sup
their Black. White quarrel TO have cnmnete