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OT: Re: Pearling algae ???'s



Dan Resler wrote:
> 
> I'll second this thought - pearling is really just a direct indicator of O2
> saturation, nothing more. Pearling plants also indicate that you are
> driving photosynthesis pretty hard, so yes, you must be doing
> something right. But a lack of pearling does not necessarily mean you
> are doing something wrong, or that something is out of balance or lacking.
>
> dan

Incidentally, the mistake of reasoning that is occuring, if you assume
that lack of pearling means something bad, happens often enough that
there is a name for it in formal logic.

If you have a situation where "A" implies "B", but you only know that
"A" is true, you know that "B" is also true. That's called a modus
ponens argument. BUT, if you have the same situation ("A" implies "B");
and you only know "A" is not true; and you assume that because "A" is
not true then "B" must also be not true, you have commited the fallacy
of "denying the antecedent".

To make it simple:

VALID (Modus Ponens)
A) Pearling is taking place
B) Everything is ok
---------------------------------
If pearling is taking place (A is true), then everything is OK (B is
true)

INVALID (Fallacy of Denying the Antecedent)
A) Pearling is taking place
B) Everything is ok
---------------------------------
If pearling is not taking place (A is false), then everything is not OK
(B is false)

Just thought I'd throw in a logic lesson. Sometimes what seems like such
ethereal nonsense actually has applicability to real-life ;-) Sorry if
it's too off-topic for y'all ;-)

-- 
Jerry Baker

References: